The Farmer and his Flower
by Absolom of Avalon
Summary: A simple story about Fluttershy and Big Macintosh. I don't feel like this story really needs a summery or explanation. Characters are in human form (simply due to preference). Expect updates every so often. Anyway, not much else to say, I hope you enjoy and feel free to ask questions or just say whatever, either in a review or PM. (Poll for next story on my profile, GO VOTE!...plz)
1. An informal, formal meeting

**A/N: This is my first story. Ever, so please, keep that in mind considering my odd writing style. Under other circumstances, I would love to interact with any of my readers, especially Q&amp;A. But since that is against the rules, that cannot become a reality *sigh* If there's any loophole to this rule, like PM feel free to exploit it, I don't mind answering any of your questions (unless of course it spoils the story).**

**Criticism or praise of any kind whatsoever is very much appreciated, like I said before I'm a novice to writing, so my writing style, pacing and punctuation are quite rough (I think). Any suggestions or advice is also very much appreciated. Also there will be some references to other franchises, see if you can catch any of them. **

**Also, the year of this story "02" does not stand for 2002, it is the amount of years that have passed since the start of my original story, as all of my stories take place in the same universe this helps greatly in understanding when and where each of my stories ties in to each other. If you don't exactly understand, it'll make more sense if/when you read another one of my stories (even though none of them exist yet).**

**Characters are in human form, this is simply because of personal preference. I find it awkward and difficult to make sense of ponies doing human things, like grasping things, picking things up, fighting, (that is, if there would be any) Etc.**

**Lastly, I'm very sorry if it appears I copied anyone's work, that is not my intention at all, and all of the content (well other than the characters and setting) in this story I thought up on my own, if you still see some similarities, please don't hesitate to PM me and tell me the similarities between mine and someone else's story. Now without more of that nonsense I think I'll start the story.**

**All content belongs to its respective owners, I own nothing (except my OC's, which I highly doubt will even be mentioned in this story), otherwise all of this would be canon (probably).**

**CHAPTER 1. June 6th/02/3:06 PM/3rd person.**

Big Mac was working around the farm as he normally would, plowing the fields and preparing the ground for new crops. After many hours of work, starting as soon as the sun had risen, to now, he decided it was about time for a break. Unhooking himself from the plow he began heading for the farmhouse; after a few minutes of walking he arrived at the back door, quickly opening it and making a b-line for the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, he poured himself a cold glass of cider and headed out to the front porch. Once outside he took a seat in one of the 4 rocking chairs that were outside, slowly chugging the contents of his glass. After finishing his glass, he began looking around, observing the world around him.

After a short amount of time, he began nodding off, not noticing the young woman approaching him. "Um…excuse me," the woman said in a meek voice.

He looked up slowly to see who was speaking. He recognized her as one of Applejack's friends. "What can Ah help ya with?" he asked simply.

"Oh…I…um…i-is Applejack around?" she asked, stammering quite a bit.

"Nope," he said simply.

"Oh...ok, I'll just come back later," she said and began walking away.

"Are ya sure Ah can't help y'all with anythin' ma'am?" he asked, offering any assistance.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to be a bother," she said in a gentle voice hardly above a whisper.

"It ain't a problem ma'am, if it involves apples, then it's my job ta help ya," he said in a matter-o-fact tone.

"A-alright…if it's not any trouble, I'd like to buy some apples," she said, dialing the volume of her voice up a slight amount.

"Alright," he said as he stood up. She seemed a little frightened by his size and began backing up, not taking into account the few steps leading up to the porch right behind her.

Once she stepped on the edge of the first step, she immediately lost her balance and began falling backwards. "Oh no!" she said in a panicked voice, as she began falling. Without thinking, Big Mac sprung forward and grabbed one of her flailing hands and tugged her back onto the porch. Once realizing she was safe, she opened her eyes and realized she was leaning against Big Mac, with her head against his chest. She immediately started blushing and backed up quickly, making sure not to fall this time.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" she was saying before getting cut off.

"It's alright," he said in a calming tone.

"…Th-thank you," she said, still blushing.

"No problem ma'am, now, how many apples did ya need?" he asked, getting back to business.

"Um…a crate," she said, not sounding exactly sure.

"A whole crate?" he asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

"…Yes…I need them for my animals," she said, clearing up Big Mac's confusion a bit.

"Any specific kind?" he asked curiously.

"Um, no, I don't think the animals will mind," she said gently.

"Alright…feel free ta take a seat, Ah'll be right back with a crate of apples," he said and began walking to the other side of the building.

Once on the other side he unlocked and opened the cellar door, heading down the stairs and examining the crates and reading the date on each. He grabbed a somewhat older batch (as the animals surely wouldn't care) of McIntosh apples. Hoisting the crate onto his right shoulder; he began his walk back to the exit, locking the cellar as he exited it, continuing his walk to the front.

Once arriving at the front porch he noticed her sitting in one of the rocking chairs, quietly singing a song he had never heard before, he noticed she hadn't seen him and decided to listen in.

"I want to fly high…so I can reach the highest of all the heavens. Somebody will be…waiting for me, so I've got to fly higher…" she finished, lingering on the last note.

"Y'all sing mighty fine ma'am," he said as he approached her from the side.

"Oh!" she said as she jumped in surprise, looking to her side to see him.

"Ah'm sorry Ah startled ya, Ah jus' wanted y'all ta finish yer lovely song," he said as he walked up to her and stood next to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bug you with my singing," she said, blushing furiously and hiding her face behind her long pink hair.

"Yer a great singer, Ah reckon Ah could listen to ya all day," he said, reassuring her.

"R-really?" she asked, standing up and looking up into his green eyes with her teal ones, causing him to blush very slightly.

"Eeyup," he said honestly.

"O-oh…thank you, Big Macintosh," she said in a quiet but grateful tone.

"Y'all know my name?" he asked curiously.

"Yes…Applejack talks about you sometimes."

"Y'all could'a said that sooner…but, putting two and two together, y'all must be Fluttershy, right?" he asked.

"Y-yes…how did you?-" she was about to ask, before getting cut off.

"Applejack talks a lot."

"Hehe…I guess…that's a good thing this time," she said and started blushing near the end of her sentence.

"Eeyup."

"H-how much?" she asked, changing the subject.

He looked at her with a confused look on his face, before remembering that he had a crate of apples on his shoulder. "Oh, a crate this size would be $40, but…Ah think we can let one go for free, for a family friend."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly take it for free," she said in response.

"Don't worry about it, Ah could go ta the orchard an' get this many apples in less 'n ten minutes."

"You really don't mind?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Nope."

"Oh…thank you again, Big Macintosh," she said, and continued. "Are you sure Applejack won't be mad?" she asked.

"Applejack ain't who Ah'm worried 'bout, an' y'all can jus' call me Big Mac."

"Oh…ok, well, I guess I'll be on my way then," she said as she put her arms out for the crate.

Once giving her a quick once over and examining the crate, he decided that the crate was too large for her.

"Ah'll carry it," he said suddenly.

She gave him a shocked look before responding "I couldn't possibly have you do that, I've already taken up too much of your time," she said in an almost worried sounding voice.

"It's no problem Miss Fluttershy, Ah'm happy ta help, just lead the way," he said genuinely.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Eeyup," he responded, confirming his answer.

"O-ok," she responded, and began walking; Big Mac following close behind.

The two walked, heading into town to deliver the apples to Fluttershy's house. Big Mac quickly gained a decent amount of attention because of his size, he either didn't notice the many pairs of eyes staring at him or decided to ignore it. But Fluttershy on the other hand, being the meek woman that she is became quite distressed at all the people looking in her direction and began slowing down her pace.

Big Mac immediately noticing her decrease in speed (mainly due to him being a few paces behind her), slowed down as well and veered off to her right side, to avoid a collision with her significantly smaller frame. He walked up beside her, noticing a look of uncertainty or distress on her face. He then spoke up to address the problem (whatever it may be).

"What's wrong?" he asked, gaining her attention.

"I-I'm not used to having so many people looking at me," she said in a meek tone, moving a small amount closer to him.

"It's alright, Ah'm sure they don't mean no harm by it," he said, trying to reassure her.

"I know, it's just…it makes me nervous," she said, still adopting a timid tone of voice.

"So…ya don't like people lookin' at ya?" he asked curiously.

"No…It makes me feel like they're judging me."

"They can't really judge ya, they don't even know ya, maybe they're jealous...ya never know," he said, shrugging slightly and making a decent point.

"What could they possibly envy in me? I'm timid, weak and I can hardly even stand up for myself."

"Whether that's the case or not, they don't know; they jus' see a beautiful woman walkin' through town mindin' her own business," he said honestly.

"You think I'm…beautiful?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ah don't think yer beautiful, Ah know it, anybody with eyes could see that, jus' ask 'em." he said honestly.

She was silent for a few moments before she responded. "…You really think so?" she asked curiously.

"Eeyup," he said simply, causing her to blush.

"O-oh…" was all she said.

"If y'all don't believe me jus' ask someone, Ah'm sure they won't mind" he suggested.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly work up enough nerve to do that…and besides, you're probably just being nice," she said in a somewhat glum tone, while she looked down at the ground.

"Stay here," he said suddenly, as he put his crate of apples down and briskly walked toward a small group of people. Leaving a surprised Fluttershy behind. Once he made it to them, he was out of clear earshot of Fluttershy.

"Sorry ta disturb y'all, but can Ah ask y'all a quick question?" he asked the small group of people, to which they said yes. "Y'all see that woman standing over there?" He asked while pointing toward Fluttershy. The group quickly nodded and/or said yes.

"Do y'all think she's attractive?" he asked, to which everyone quickly said yes. "Alright, thank ya kindly." He then made his way back to Fluttershy.

"What did you say?" she asked him curiously.

"Ah asked if they thought y'all were attractive," he said as simply as he said most things.

"W-what!? Why would you do that?" she asked, sounding somewhat distraught.

"Jus' wanted to see what they would say."

"…What…did they say?" she asked curiously.

"They all said yes."

"Really?" she asked.

"Eeyup," he said. "If y'all don't mind, Ah think we should keep goin'" he said as he picked up the crate of apples.

"…Ok," she said as if she was in deep thought and began walking, Big Mac walking next to her this time.

They continued walking through town, on the way to Fluttershy's house, still garnering the attention of quite a few people; Fluttershy did however become a little bit more comfortable with the whole situation.

She then noticed two women she recognized, walking toward them from straight in front of her and Big Mac. The two women stared intently at her and Big Mac while they walked, moving to the side so they could pass around them, she then heard one of the women speaking loudly as they passed them.

"What are they doing together? There's no way that timid mess could be going out with him" one of the women said.

"Look at the crate, I'm sure he's just delivering something for her because she's too weak to carry it" the other woman said.

"Yeah that's gotta be it, there's no way she could woo that tall tan hunk of muscle" the first woman said.

After she said that Fluttershy couldn't tell what they were saying anymore, but it didn't really matter because she really didn't want to hear more; she then looked down at the ground as she walked, with a glum expression on her face.

"Don't worry about what those two were talkin' about," Big Mac said after he noticed Fluttershy's sad expression.

"Why shouldn't I? What they said was true."

"Ah don't normally listen in on conversations, but Ah could tell that those two wanted us ta hear what they were sayin' because of how loud they were talkin', so what they said is most likely jealousy talkin'" he said, pointing out something she didn't consider.

"How do you know?" she asked curiously.

"Ah don't, but believe it or not, Ah've been 'round the block a few times an' people ain't that intentionally mean unless they're jealous or envious of someone."

"Why would they be jealous?" she asked curiously.

"Haven't we already been through this?" he asked.

"…You think they're jealous of my…looks?" she asked curiously.

"It's possible, or because yer with me," he said, unintentionally bringing up a new topic.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, Ah don't leave the farm much fer a reason; because of women like them…luckily Ah had y'all here ta keep me safe," he said jokingly and winked.

"So…you're saying they were deliberately being mean because they were jealous of me…being with you?" she asked curiously, sounding somewhat confused.

"Eeyup...well, possibly."

"…Oh...well…you're welcome," she said somewhat jokingly.

"Heh, Ah didn't know ya had a sense of humor," he said, obviously not being serious.

"Hehe, I didn't think you had one either," she said in response.

He chuckled lightly and then looked at her intently for a moment, lingering his gaze on her eyes a little too long, provoking her to blush and hide her face behind her hair. "It's a shame we hadn't formally met until today Miss Fluttershy," he said honestly.

"Y-yeah…but I-I'm glad we did," she responded, still blushing.

"…Eeyup."

They continued walking in relative silence toward Fluttershy's house, exiting the town and walking on a dirt path, sparking a bit of curiosity in Big Mac's mind. A woman who's afraid of her own shadow, living by herself a good distance away from safety, in a house right on the edge of a forest filled with potentially dangerous animals. This didn't sit right with him.

"Y'all live out here all by yerself?" he asked curiously.

"Of course not! I have my animals to keep me company," she said in a matter-o-fact voice.

"…Ah didn't think about that…but, don't y'all ever get lonely?" he asked curiously.

"You mean…like interaction with my own species?" she asked.

"Well, if y'all wanna be technical about it, then yeah, that's about the gist of it."

"Sometimes…but I have friends that I do things with every so often."

"Ah figured as much, Ah know one of 'em pretty well," he responded, referring to Applejack.

"Hehe, I suppose you do don't you?" she asked.

"Eeyup."

After a short amount of time, Big Mac noticed what looked to be Fluttershy's house in the distance.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"Yes."

"It's…really quite beautiful, Ah wasn't expecting this," he said sincerely.

"You really think so?" she asked.

"Not meanin' to sound rude Miss Fluttershy, but Ah don't say things that Ah don't mean; so yes Ah really think so," he said honestly.

"O-oh…I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

"An' y'all apologize even though ya didn't do nothin' wrong," he said, pointing out a trait of hers.

"I-I'm sor-" she was saying before being interrupted.

"There it is again…Miss Fluttershy, don't apologize fer things y'all shouldn't be apologizin' for," he said as he gave her a friendly smile.

"Ok I'm sor- I mean, alright," she responded, correcting herself.

"There ya go!" he said enthusiastically.

After he said that they arrived at a small bridge, that went over a small stream in front of Fluttershy's house and shortly after, arrived at her front door.

"Hold on a minute," she said as she took a pair of keys out of one of her pockets and quickly unlocked her front door. "Follow me please," she said as she opened the door and walked inside.

"Alright," he said as he followed her inside. Once he entered he quickly took note of how uniquely homey and attractive the inside of her house was, he noticed the intricate design of the wood that covered the walls, the somewhat simplistic furniture that was scattered about and the various openings and ramps for small creatures throughout the room and most likely other rooms. "Y'all got a nice place here Miss Fluttershy," he remarked honestly.

"I should've cleaned up a bit, it's a mess in here," she said, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

He took a quick look around the room with a somewhat confused look on his face before he responded. "This is messy? It looks pretty darn clean considerin' y'all let wild critters run around here." he said.

"You're just being nice, it's awful in here," she said and began walking again.

Big Mac having plenty of experience with women (from having two sisters a grandmother and at one time a mother) knew it was unwise to argue with a woman, and decided to stop while he was ahead. "If y'all say so," he said simply and left it at that.

They continued heading for a doorway at the back right of the room, which led to a small room that appeared to be a laundry room; Big Mac momentarily forgetting that this was indeed a woman's laundry room, gave the room a once over, quickly noticing Fluttershy's unmentionables, bras and other articles of clothing scattered about the room, he immediately turned a deep shade of crimson and looked down at the floor. Luckily she hadn't seemed to notice and they continued walking, Fluttershy opened a door that led outside and held it open for him.

"Thank ya kindly," he said while looking away from her. He then quickly noticed a large number of animals of all kinds in her backyard, everything from a flamingo to a tortoise and a wide variety of others. "…Y'all really do have a lot of animals," he said completely astonished.

"Yeah…they're really good company."

"Eeyup…" he said plainly, still averting his gaze.

She gave a slight look of inquiry, but decided not to say anything.

"Where do y'all want this?" he asked.

"Umm…where you're standing is fine," she said, still finding his current behavior slightly odd.

"Alright," he said and placed the crate down on the ground gently. He then stood up and looked around at the animals, trying hard to avoid looking at Fluttershy.

"Is everything alright?" she asked obviously confused.

He knew he couldn't avoid looking at her any longer without coming off as rude. So he slowly turned his head to look at her and instantly turned red again, but he knew he couldn't look away this time and quickly responded.

"Eeyup," he said quickly. "…Ah guess Ah'll be goin' now," he said as he was going to begin walking toward the gate that led to the outside of Fluttershy's property. "Goodbye Fluttershy." he said and started walking.

"Wait!" she said a little louder than she intended.

He turned around and responded. "What is it?" he asked.

"O-oh…umm…w-would you like to…stay for tea?" she asked stammering quite a bit, with an unsure undertone to her voice.

"Ah don't think Ah can, Ah have-" he was saying before thinking about it a little bit, in all honesty he deserved a break, after all, he works all day, he never asked for much and he never let his family down; and besides, he finished quite a bit of work for the relatively short amount of time he had worked. After a bit of thought, he decided what his answer would be.

"Eeyup."

**A/N: What do y'all think? Thanks everyone who read, and double thanks to those who took the time to review and give me advice. It makes me pleased to think people took the time to read this mediocre story. Thank you very, very much, it really means a lot to me.**

**If you have any comments/advice or whatever, feel free to say it in the review or PM me, I'm extremely thick-skinned, so I highly doubt you'll offend me in any way, so don't hold back.**

**Thanks again.**


	2. You want to what?

**A/N: I understand I probably sound like a broken record, but anyway. Thank you to anyone who reads this, double thanks to anyone who reviews, (but either way you're getting praise).**

**I can't guarantee that this chapter will hold up well.**

**Anything is greatly appreciated Flames/trolls/reviews/comments/advice/tips Etc. (ok maybe I don't greatly appreciate flames and trolls, but I don't hate them). Anyway, on with the story.**

**CHAPTER 2. June 6****th****/02/3:42 PM/3****rd**** person.**

She was rather surprised, but pleased nonetheless at his answer. "Really!?" she asked more enthusiastically than she intended.

"Eeyup." he said with a genuine smile plastered on his face.

"Ok, follow me." she said as she began walking back towards the back door, sounding a bit more cheerful than usual.

He did as she said and followed her, staying a few paces behind.

Once they entered he made sure not to look around the room and made a mental note not to think about what was in the room.

They continued through the house, passing through the living room and into another room that was placed at the bottom of a staircase.

Entering it, it turned out to be what he expected it to be. A kitchen.

"I'll start heating some water, you can pick whatever flavor you want" she said as she gestured toward a medium-small off-white metal box decorated with a fence in the background and a rooster &amp; hen in the foreground that housed a large variety of tea boxes.

He examined all the boxes, listing the flavors as he did so. Green, lemon, raspberry, peppermint, ginger, chamomile, apples &amp; cinnamon, black, orange spice and white.

He decided to stay on the safe side and go with black, since that's what he used to make sweet tea.

"What flavor do y'all want?" he asked, since he was already there.

"I'll have apples &amp; cinnamon, if you don't mind." she said.

He grabbed a packet of both flavors and brought them over to where she was heating the water.

"Here ya go" he said simply as he gave her the tea packets. He considered if he should offer his assistance in making the tea, but considering you just boil water and put the tea bags in, he decided against it, as it could unintentionally imply that he thinks she's incompetent.

So he simply sat down at a small round table that seated (what looked to be) up to 4 people at the far end of the room, placed next to a rather large window.

He was examining the room around him, when he noticed a small white rabbit on the ground near his foot, it seemed to actually be looking at him, with a look that almost seemed to be saying "What are you doing here?" it's face was very expressive for a common rabbit, which he took note of considering it was still looking intently at him. Under normal circumstances he would've treated the rodent as vermin, but this was Fluttershy's pet, so that obviously wasn't an option.

It looked friendly enough, so he reached his hand down to pet the small creature.

Possibly out of fear, the rabbit bit him on the hand, causing him to wince slightly in pain. He had grown accustomed to pain over the many years he worked on the farm so this wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He was confident the rodent had its shots, so he decided not to make a big deal out of a tiny bite mark on his hand.

Oddly enough, the rabbit didn't run away, it simply stayed where it was, causing a bit of confusion to befall Big Mac. He looked at the rabbit with a curious expression on his face, wondering what the small creature was thinking. After a few more seconds, he averted his gaze from the small creature.

He then shifted his gaze to Fluttershy, she was almost done with the tea preparation, all she needed was a pair of cups and spoons, after getting the cups she went over to sit with Big Macintosh, placing a cup in front of him and sitting down in the chair across from him.

Once she did so, the rabbit quickly hopped over to her and hopped onto her lap, this caught Big Mac completely off-guard. That was odd behavior for a rabbit, let alone a rabbit that just bit him.

"Hi Angel!" she said happily to the rabbit.

"Did y'all train that rabbit?" Big Mac asked curiously.

"Actually no, he's always acted this way…well at least when it's not meal time" she said in response.

"Really?...how'd ya get 'im?" he asked.

"…I found him as a baby…he was so tiny and all alone," she said in a tone that suggested she was in deep thought and continued. "His mother probably abandoned him because he was too small and weak…and in many ways, I sympathized with him." she finished with a subtle tone of sadness.

Big Mac was not expecting such a drastic change in tone and certainly did not intend to make the demure woman upset. "…Ah'm sorry if Ah brought back any painful memories, Ah sincerely didn't mean to." he said honestly.

"…It's alright, I know you didn't mean to." she said and gave him a reassuring smile.

He felt angry with himself for making Fluttershy upset, even if it was by accident, he hated seeing people upset, especially women.

He didn't exactly know what to say, usually he was rather quick when it came to supporting people, but for some reason he was at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, it's really not your fault; I become sad so easily that just a simple memory about how I met Angel can get me emotional." she said admittedly.

"…Do y'all wanna talk about it? Ah know ya don't know me very well, but Ah'm willin' ta listen, if'n yer willin' ta tell me." he said with a sincere smile on his face.

She didn't respond right away and looked out the window at the animals living in her backyard. "I wouldn't want to bore you by talking about myself." she said in a somewhat sad tone of voice.

"If y'all aren't comfortable, Ah understand, but trust me when Ah say ya won't bore me," he said honestly. "An' besides, we're friends now right? an' friends are there for each other; so don't feel like y'all can't talk ta me about yourself." he said with a comforting smile on his face.

"…Thank you, that means a lot to me. And actually, I feel oddly comfortable around you, it's as if I've known you for years," she said sincerely. "I can't figure out why though, maybe it's the way you carry yourself, how you know what you are and how the world views you, but yet, you're still full of confidence even knowing there's people who think you're a dolt, or think you're unwise, even though that's the furthest from the truth...I wish I could be more like you." she said as she looked into her empty cup.

"What makes y'all think ya can't?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

She looked up at him with a slightly puzzled look and responded "I'm just too insecure…I could never be as strong as you or Applejack…or any of my friends for that matter." she said in a regular tone of voice as she looked back down into her empty cup.

"Look at me Fluttershy," he said, provoking her to look up at him. "No-one is born strong." he said with a serious look on his face.

"I guess…But what about you and Applejack?" she asked.

"I wasn't at all strong or confident 'til Ah was in my early teens…but Ah was never as confident as Applejack...at least, not 'til then." he said honestly.

"What caused you to become more confident?" she asked curiously.

"Necessity…" he said plainly, and lowered his gaze slightly; staring as if he was in deep thought.

She looked at him with a confused look, not sure what he meant. "I don't understand, why was it a necessity for you to be more confident?" she asked with a look of inquiry.

He hesitated on his response and let out a small breath. "When yer the only one physically capable of doing work an' have 2 younger sisters an' a grandmother lookin' ta you fer every kind of support…y'all can't be weak, even if all yer strength is gone." he said and brought his hand to his mouth and rested his head on it.

"…Oh…I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when I-" she was saying when the kettle began to screech, effectively interrupting her sentence.

"I should probably get that…" she said as she stood up and walked over to the kettle.

Big Macintosh followed shortly after, cup in hand.

Fluttershy then removed the kettle and set it to the side for the time being. She then put her cup down and put the tea bag in it, then picking up the kettle and pouring water into her cup. Looking behind her she saw Big Mac and gestured for him to offer her his cup, he did so and she poured water into it.

He then picked up his tea bag off of the counter and placed it into his cup and the pair walked back over to the table.

Fluttershy was about to speak when Big Macintosh cut-in. "Y'all don't have ta apologize, it ain't yer fault." he said simply.

"…But I brought back those painful memories…I should apologize." she said.

"Ah haven't gone a single day without thinkin' of those memories, Ah've learned ta live with it an' if it never happened, Ah wouldn't be half the man Ah am today." he said honestly.

"…I suppose that's true." she said in an unsure tone and took a sip of her tea.

He followed suit and took a sip as well before speaking. "So, as Ah was sayin', no-one is born strong." he said suddenly, completely changing the subject and dropping his somber attitude.

She seemed a little hesitant, but decided to just continue on with the conversation. "…So, you actually think I can become strong?" she asked curiously.

"Eeyup, but that's if'n y'all weren't strong ta begin with; yer already strong, in yer own way. But Ah believe y'all can get stronger." he said simply and took another sip of his tea.

"W-what? You think I'm strong?" she asked with a shocked looked on her face.

"Eeyup." he said simply and took another sip of his tea.

"How!?" she asked in a shocked and confused voice.

"Well, Applejack told me about how ya stopped a manticore jus' by bein' kind ta it, so y'all have strength when it comes ta animals, Ah've never heard of anyone tamin' a manticore," he said and continued. "An' yer kindness, Ah mean, there's that sayin' 'kill 'em with kindness' So y'all don't even need ta be physically strong, as long as yer strong at what ya do." he said making a decent point and taking another sip of his tea.

"…I guess so…but I want to be strong like you." she said, catching him slightly off guard.

He considered asking why, but decided against it. "Alright." he said simply.

She looked at him with an expression of minor confusion and responded. "…Alright? What do you mean?" she asked.

"Y'all said ya wanna be strong like me, right?" he asked.

"Yes…" she said trailing a bit.

"Well, the only way yer gonna be strong like me, is if someone teaches ya." he said simply.

She then realized what he meant. "Do you mean…" she said trailing off.

He then gulped down the rest of his tea and answered. "Eeyup, Ah'm gonna train ya!" he said with enthusiastic finality.

**A/N: It's a bit shorter than the first chapter and I'm sorry it took so long. I could write a chapter this long in less than an hour if I knew what I was going to write and that was the whole problem, I sat at my computer for hours each day listening to music and trying to think of what I could/should write, I'm sorry if this chapter is lacking, in all honesty I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with it.**

**If you see any mistakes (which I'm sure there's at the very least 1) point it out, either in the review or by PM (feel free to say whatever you want in PM any comments or questions, even unrelated, I will answer (almost) anything, I'm an open book).**

**also, ****don't feel like you need to hold back on the criticism, there is a very, very slim chance you will offend me or hurt my feelings and your input will most likely make the story better in some way or another****.**

**Any and all input of any kind is beneficial to this story, as I've said before, I'm a novice and whatever you say I can learn from, which will give me a better chance of making a better story.**

**Thanks again.**

**(Also, go ahead and check out "Blaze Titanium" his writing is quite a lot different than mine, but he's a totally awesome guy)**


	3. So, tomorrow?

**A/N: Hello readers, If you've read this far, I assume you either enjoy the story or you're waiting for it to get better, or both.**

**Sorry for keeping you waiting, I have a basic undertone for the story now, so I do somewhat know what I'm doing but I'm still having trouble with coming up with some plot elements and all that jazz, so I have a suggestion, if you want to, you can give me an idea of where to go next and I could use your suggestions to progress the story more quickly.**

**Also, I might as well give a special thanks to "rainbow bullet" and "CloudwatcherNumbuh7" If not for these two, this story would probably still be a one-shot. So thanks, it means a lot to me.**

**Not much else to say, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

**CHAPTER 3. June 6th/02/3:54 PM/3rd person.**

She looked at him as if he was insane for a few seconds before responding. "W-what!? You couldn't possibly be serious!" she said as she continued staring at him as if he had gone mad.

"But Ah am; If y'all wanna be strong like me, then someone's gotta teach ya an' who better ta do that than me?" he asked curiously, making a good point.

She was about to respond but couldn't think of a good counter to his logic. "…I guess that's true." she said, hesitantly agreeing with him.

"So yer gonna let me teach y'all?" he asked curiously.

She slowly sipped what was left of her tea before responding. "I-I guess so…" she said hesitantly.

"So when an' where is good fer y'all?" he asked.

"Well now wouldn't be a good time, I have to take care of my animals soon and that's practically a full time job, I might have some time tomorrow at around four and I don't really care where it is." she said honestly.

"Alright, tomorrow sounds good, Ah'll come pick y'all up at four." he said.

"Oh, you don't have to pick me up, just tell me where we're meeting and I'll go there." she said.

"Don't worry about it, Ah'd be happy ta come pick y'all up." he said with an honest smile on his face.

"…That's really sweet of you," she said honestly. "But then you'd have to walk so much further." she said.

"Ah walk the majority of the day, just about every day, so walkin' ta yer house an' back shouldn't be a problem." he said.

"Well alright, if you want to, I don't mind." she said as she picked up her cup and stood up.

She then held out her hand for his cup, to which he happily complied. "Thank ya kindly." he said honestly.

"No problem." she said in response and then walked over to the sink and placed both of the cups in it.

Big Mac then looked around the room, looking for a clock, but to no avail, so he decided to ask Fluttershy if she knew what time it was. "Miss Fluttershy." he said, getting her attention.

"Yes?" she asked in response.

"Do y'all know what time it is, by any chance?" he asked curiously.

"Umm, no, but there's a clock in the living room." she said as she pointed toward the doorway.

"Alright, thanks." he said as he got up and walked into the living room. Once in the other room he quickly found the clock on the nearest wall; its arms indicated that it was 4:01 PM. His eyes then widened slightly at the realization that he had stayed longer than he intended.

"Hey Fluttershy." he called into the other room.

"Yes?" she called back from the kitchen.

He then walked back into the kitchen and responded. "Ah have ta get goin', Ah really need ta get back ta work on the farm." he said getting ready to leave.

"Oh…alright, see you tomorrow then?" she said with a curious undertone.

"Eeyup." he said simply.

"Well…I guess I'll show you out." she said as she began walking toward the entrance of the kitchen. Once she made it to about where Big Macintosh was standing they both walked to the front door.

Once making it to the front door, they both stood there for a few moments without saying anything, until Big Mac spoke up. "Ah guess Ah'll be goin' now," he said as he opened the door and walked a few steps outside before turning back around. "Goodbye Fluttershy, Ah had a lot of fun today..." he said, looking as if he wanted to say more.

"I did too, I never thought I could be so comfortable around someone I just met." she said honestly.

"Ah guess y'all learn new things about yerself ev'ryday…so anyway, Ah'll be seein' y'all tomorrow?" he said with an undertone of inquiry.

"Yes." she said simply.

"Alright, see y'all soon." he said as he prepared to depart.

"Goodbye Big Mac." she said with a wide smile on her face and closed the door slowly.

Big Mac hesitated and stared at the door for a few seconds before making his way back to Sweet Apple Acres with a genuine smile spread happily across his face.

Fluttershy slowly walked over to her couch and sat down, she then proceeded to stare at the door that Big Macintosh was just on the other side of. "…Applejack's brother…who would've thought." she said aloud to herself.

Angel then hopped up onto the cushion next to her, where he then started gesturing toward her.

"What's that Angel?" she asked the small white rabbit.

He then made another set of gestures and noises.

"What!? That's not true!" she said loudly (for her).

He then nodded his head and made another set of gestures.

Her face then turned a hot shade of red and she responded. "A-Angel! That's ridiculous! We hardly even know each other." she said, her cheeks continuing to burn red.

He then shrugged and hopped away.

"…He's just a bunny…what does he know." she said defiantly to herself.

Big Mac continued his walk to the farm in silence, his mind a mess of thoughts as he walked through Ponyville. He was so in tune with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed a couple of women walk up beside him and was caught off guard when they spoke up, making their presence known.

It was the same two women that he had seen earlier on his walk to Fluttershy's house.

"Hey big guy, what're you doing around here?" the first woman asked with a happy smile on her face. She was a slender woman with greenish blue eyes and curly dark blue hair with a light pink streak in it.

"Walkin'." he said simply.

"Oh, well I could've told you that!" she said loudly and started laughing for a few seconds.

"So, you wanna go do something?" the second woman asked curiously. She had a similar build to her friend and had bright yellow eyes and straight pale mint green hair with a white streak in it.

"Eeyup." he said simply.

"Really!?" both of the women said almost in unison.

"What do you want to go do?" the first woman asked.

"Go home an' continue workin'." he said simply, causing both of the girls to rear back slightly and don confused looks on their faces.

"What?" the first women asked in a confused tone of voice.

"Ah want…ta go home….an' continue…workin'." he said slowly, making sure the woman understood him this time.

"Oh I get it, you're just one of those stupid farmers who does nothing but work all day!" the first woman said with an angry tone.

He wasn't the least bit phased by the woman's words and simply responded with an "Eeyup."

"Gah! Come on, let's just leave this ignorant dolt alone!" the first woman said in aggravation and began walking away hastily.

The second woman hesitated for a few seconds before saying her parting words. "Sorry about her, she's not always like this." she said and began jogging to catch up with her friend.

He continued on his way, unfazed by what had just transpired. After several minutes of walking he made it back to the farm and walked into the front door, just to be immediately greeted by Granny Smith.

"Where've y'all been?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah was doin' a delivery." he said simply in response.

"Ta where? Canterlot? Y'all've never taken that long unless y'all was makin' an out of town delivery." she said making a good point.

"Uhh…Ah was-" he was saying before being interrupted.

"Don't try an' lie ta me Big Macintosh, y'all know yer as bad as Applejack when it comes ta lyin'." she said.

"Eeyup…" he said simply.

"Now then, tell me where y'all've been." she said demandingly.

"Don't make a big deal outta this, ok?" he asked of her.

"Fine, fine, jus' tell me." she said impatiently.

"An' don't tell Applejack, alright?" he asked of her once again.

"Just git on with it!" she said losing her patience.

"…Ah was at Miss Fluttershy's house." he said simply.

"Applejacks pretty lil' demure friend?" she asked curiously.

"…Eeyup." he said simply.

"Hmmm, so when am Ah gonna be havin' lil' great grands scamperin' about mah house?" she asked with a curious look on her face.

"Granny…it ain't like that, y'all said the same thing years ago when Ah started spendin' time with Miss Cheerilee again." he said simply and shook his head in slight disappointment.

"Well ya don't just go hangin' around with a girl from yer school days, after years of not even sayin' hi to her unless y'all want a lil' bit more than ta 'relive the old days'." she said, sarcastically air quoting the last few words.

"It don't matter granny, Ah'm gonna go back ta work now." he said dropping the subject and walking toward the back door.

"Fine, Ah guess Ah'm just a crazy old coot; but Ah'm a crazy old coot that wants great grands, so git to it!" she called after him.

"Eeyup!" he called back and closed the back door behind him. Beginning his work for the remainder of the day.

"…Ah'm never gonna here the end of this." he said to himself, as he dragged his hand down his face in frustration.

**A/N: Not much to say here.**

**Feel free to do whatever, anything helps me.**

**Rest easy everybody.**

**Thanks again.**


	4. Odd methods

**A/N: I hope this chapter kind of completes the last one, because the last one seemed pretty mediocre in my opinion. Sorry if I disappointed any of you guys, I'm trying to get updates up quickly, while at the same time coming up with somewhat good content. Thanks to everyone for whatever reason.**

**On with the story.**

**CHAPTER 4. June 7****th****/02/3:42 PM/3****rd**** person.**

Big Macintosh was working hard around the farm, picking up the slack from yesterday and keeping an eye on the position of the sun. He had worked so much out in the fields that he learned how to tell time just by looking at where the sun was in the sky.

He realized that he should probably head out now, lest he be late to pick up Fluttershy.

After a few minutes of walking he made it to the house and quickly getting himself a glass of sweet tea to help cool him down.

"Hey Big Mac!" he heard his youngest sister call from behind him, startling him slightly.

He turned around to see his sister standing only a few paces away from him.

"Howdy Apple Bloom." he said simply and continued. "How was school?" he asked curiously and took a quick gulp of his tea.

"It was fine." she said in an unenthused voice.

"Jus' fine?" he asked with a curious look on his face.

"Well it ain't like Ah like goin' ta school." she said with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Ah understand, school wasn't that fun fer me either," he said slightly empathetically and continued. "But, it's somethin' ya jus' gotta do." he said as he shrugged slightly.

"Ah know." she said simply.

"Well, at least y'all have friends ya can spend time with, right?" he said with a curious grin on his face.

"Yeah, that's true." she said, thinking about her friends.

"See? There's always a bright side." he said cheerfully and finished off the rest of his tea.

"Yer right. Thanks Big Mac!" she said as she gleefully hugged her brother's waist.

"No problem." he said with a genuine smile plastered on his face as he hugged his youngest sister affectionately with one arm.

After they finished their hug Big Mac put his cup away and prepared to leave to go pick up Fluttershy.

"Ah gotta go sugarcube. Ah'll be back soon, so stay outta trouble." he said as he gave a slightly stern look.

"Goin' ta go pick up Fluttershy huh?" she said with a raised eyebrow and a sly smirk on her face.

He froze for a few seconds before responding. "How did y'all know that?" he asked with obvious confusion.

"Granny told me." she said simply as she shrugged with a "what're ya gonna do" look on her face.

"…Well, Ah did say don't tell Applejack, Ah didn't say nothin' about tellin' y'all." he said as he silently lothed his grandmother's craftiness.

She giggled lightly before responding. "Don't worry, Ah won't tell Applejack." She said in a seemingly honest tone.

"Promise?" he asked with a very slightly stern look across his face.

"Ah Promise." she said as she raised her right hand, signifying she was telling the truth.

"…Pinkie promise?" he asked jokingly with a raised eyebrow.

She then performed a series of motions as she chanted. "Cross my heart an' hope ta fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" she finished and quickly started giggling followed by Big Mac's hearty chuckling.

"Alright, Ah gotta go or Ah'm gonna be late." he said as he began walking away briskly.

"Bye!" she called after him.

"Bye." He called back as he lifted his right hand to signal "Goodbye".

Fluttershy was pacing her living room nervously, wondering if making plans with Big Mac was a good idea. She didn't have any other plans but if word got out that she was spending time with Big Macintosh people could very easily get the wrong idea. What if Rarity caught wind? She knew if it came to that she'd never hear the end of it.

"What should I do!?" she said to herself with a distressed and panicked look laying segue to her soft features.

Angel sat on the couch watching Fluttershy pacing worriedly around the house; in mild amusement.

"Angel! What should I do!?" she asked the small white creature.

He shrugged in response with a seemingly bemused smile on his face.

"Angel this is serious! I don't know what to do." she said, going from panic to sadness.

His features softened slightly at seeing her upset. He then reluctantly made a set of gestures that she might listen to.

"You…think I should go through with this?" she asked the rabbit.

He simply nodded in response.

"But!..." she said before actually thinking about what she was going to say. "…I guess you're right…why would I make plans with someone and not follow through? Let alone a few minutes before we're supposed to meet up…that would be so mean." she said and nodded slightly as she came to a new decision.

The small white rabbit nodded as well in agreement.

"Angel, do I look ok?" she asked as she twirled slowly, showing off her simple yellow sun dress with small white frills at the bottom and three pink butterflies on her left hip.

He simply shrugged and nodded slowly, probably not caring about fashion.

"Oh, ok…I hope this is appropriate for whatever Big Macintosh has planned." she said after giving herself another once over. "But what if he thinks I look bad?" she said more to herself than Angel.

He simply shrugged again, not possibly having experience with her dilemma.

"Maybe I should go change into something more…conservative." she said to herself as she headed toward her staircase.

Before making it to the first step, there was a few solid knocks on the door, causing her to jump and yelp quietly.

After gaining her composure she walked to the door and hesitantly opened it to reveal Big Macintosh on the other side.

"Howdy Miss Fluttershy." he greeted simply.

"O-oh, hello." she said in response.

"Are y'all ready ta go, or do ya still need time ta get ready?" he asked her curiously.

"I think I'm ready to go." she said, unsure if she had everything she needed.

"Are ya sure? Ah'll wait if y'all need ta get somethin'." he said, making sure she was ready.

"No, I'm sure I have everything I need." she said honestly.

"Alright." he said as he stepped to the side, making room for her to pass.

"Bye Angel, stay out of trouble." she said to the intelligent rabbit before exiting.

He simply batted his paw in response.

She then walked past Big Macintosh who (like a gentleman) was holding the door for her.

"Thank you." she said after clearing out of the way of the door so he could close it.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response and closed the door.

She waited for him to take the lead and start walking before she began speaking. "So, where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"Sweet Apple Acres." he said simply.

She was caught off guard by his answer and took a moment to compose herself before responding. "Sweet Apple Acres!? Why are we going there?" she asked with somewhat alarmed confusion.

"Well, y'all said ya didn't care where we went, an' that's probably the best place ta learn how ta be strong." he said making a good point.

"Well, I guess you're right, but what if Applejack sees us?" she asked.

He looked at her with a somewhat confused expression tilting his head slightly as he did so and responded. "What if she does, Ah don't see how that has anythin' ta do with y'all learnin' ta be stronger." he said with a hint of confusion lingering in his voice and continued. "Besides, Applejack's one of yer best friends, right? why wouldn't y'all wanna see her?" he asked curiously.

"Well, yes, she is one of my closest friends. But if she sees us together she might tell Rarity." she said, leaving the large man even more confused.

"…Ah don't see the problem." he said with obvious confusion.

"If Rarity hears about us being together, regardless of the circumstances, she's never going to let me hear the end of it." she said clearing up some of his confusion.

"Oh, alright, Ah think Ah understand now." he said, not bothering to ask what it is Rarity would be saying, as he had some idea, but deciding to say something anyway. "Does Applejack gossip?" he asked more to himself than to Fluttershy.

"No, she really doesn't…but when it comes to something like this. I'm not sure how she would react." she said with honest uncertainty.

"Well, if we run into her, Ah'm sure we can explain the circumstances ta her." he said, not worrying about it, but bringing up another potential problem. "Now Granny on the other hand, there ain't nothing ya can say ta her ta make her change her mind." he said with a somewhat distressed look on his face.

"Granny Smith?" she asked curiously.

"Eeyup. Jus' try ta ignore anything she says, because it's more than likely she'll say somethin' rather…abrasive." he said, giving her a quick heads up.

"Oh, I doubt she'll say anything too bad." she said optimistically with a pleasant smile spread across her face.

"Well, jus' be ready in case she does." he said plainly.

"Ok." she said as she nodded in response.

After a number of minutes, they arrived at the farm, walking up to the front porch where Big Mac opened the door for Fluttershy and himself, following her inside after she passed. He wasn't prepared for what he saw next.

Applejack was waiting for them, sitting on a couch in the living room. "Well howdy you two." she said in a tone that Big Mac found very odd, it was like she was feigning excitement, or something along those lines.

"Applejack? Ah thought y'all was selling merchandise today; why are y'all here?" he asked with obvious confusion.

"Oh, no reason really, Ah jus' wanted ta say hi ta my brother and my friend." she said continuing her odd mannerisms.

Big Mac was put a bit on edge from her current behavior, he hadn't really seen her act like this before, so he wasn't sure how to react. "Applejack, Ah don't know why yer actin' like this, but Ah assure ya, there ain't no reason why y'all should be actin' this way." he said cautiously.

"Really?" she said as she stood up and began walking toward them, causing Fluttershy to back up a few steps. Big Macintosh wasn't so easily moved. As she stood only a couple feet from Big Mac she continued. "Tell me…why y'all wanted ta keep yer little meet up with one of my best friends a secret from me?" she asked with a threatening undertone.

Big Mac was still extremely confused, but he stood his ground, knowing full well that Applejack wouldn't try anything. "Maybe because Ah knew y'all might respond like this?" he said, still trying to stay on the safe side.

Fluttershy was silently freaking out as she watched the two powerful farmers stand off only a few feet from her.

Applejack didn't address his question as she asked him another question. "What were y'all plannin' on doin' with my friend?" she asked still adopting a threatening tone.

"Ah was and still am plannin' on makin' her a stronger person." he said, trying to keep it brief.

"An' why do y'all wanna do that!?" she asked accusingly.

"Maybe 'cus she wants ta be?" he said plainly.

Applejack seemed at a sudden loss for words before responding. "Why'd she ask y'all fer help an' not me?" she asked him curiously.

"Why are y'all askin' me?" he asked in response.

Applejack was then at another loss for words, before changing her view to Fluttershy, who still looked terrified.

Applejack immediately changed the way she was acting and softened her features. "Ah'm sorry sugar-cube, Ah shoulda been more sensitive about this...Ah don't think Ah need ta ask why y'all didn't come ta me fer this." she said with a sad expression on her face.

Fluttershy hesitated in her response. "It's alright Applejack." she said simply, choosing not to elaborate.

"Ah'm really sorry sugar-cube…Ah'll stay out of y'alls way now." Applejack said apologetically as she headed for the door.

"Wait! Applejack." Fluttershy said to her friend.

"…Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

"You don't have to go." she said almost pleadingly.

"Actually, Ah do sugar-cube. Ah've slacked off enough fer one day, Ah have ta get back ta work." she said honestly and continued shortly after, shifting her view to Big Mac. "An' Don't y'all try anythin', or Ah swear Ah'll-" she was saying before Big Mac cut her off.

"Ah know." he said simply.

"Good, Ah gotta go, see y'all later." she said as she exited the house and quickly shut the door.

Big Mac then looked at Fluttershy with a somewhat shameful look on his face. "Ah'm sorry about that…Ah didn't expect her ta be here, or to act like that." he said apologetically.

"…It's ok." she said hesitantly, still slightly shaken up from what just happened.

"…Well, Ah guess we should go get started. Follow me." he said as he began walking toward the back door. Fluttershy following close behind. Exiting the building and heading in a seemingly pointless direction, before Big Mac suddenly stopped, almost causing Fluttershy to run into him.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked curiously.

"There's no need ta go any further, here's fine." he said and turned around before uttering a very unexpected combination of words. "Now. Hit me." he said plainly, causing an extreme wave of confusion to assault Fluttershy.

"W-what!? Did you just say what I thought you said?" she asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

"Eeyup, hit me." he said again, still with a simple tone.

"You can't be serious! Why would I do that!?" she asked, still utterly confused.

"'Cus Ah asked ya to, would y'all prefer hugging me? Or perhaps kissing me?...No?, Alright then. Now hit me." he said, confusing Fluttershy even more.

She then began blushing slightly before responding. "I can't." she said simply.

"Why not?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"…I just don't hit people, it's not something I've ever liked or been comfortable doing." she said honestly.

"That's the point. If Ah asked y'all ta do somethin' y'all was comfortable with, it wouldn't make ya stronger, ya'd just stay the same. Now hit me." he said, still leaving a confused Fluttershy at the end of his sentence.

"I don't get it, why would making me do something I'm not comfortable with, make me stronger?" she asked with curious confusion.

"Ah'm not makin' y'all do anythin', choosin' ta do something y'all ain't comfortable with, will eventually make y'all more comfortable with doin' it, which will make y'all more comfortable with yerself." he said, making a seemingly decent point.

"But I don't want to be more comfortable with hitting people." she said, still resistant on Big Mac's method.

"It ain't hitting Ah want y'all ta be more comfortable with, Ah want y'all ta be more comfortable with yerself an' doin' things y'all ain't comfortable doin' in general." he said, persisting with his method.

"…I think I understand, but I still don't want to hit you." she said honestly.

"Ah know y'all don't wanna hit me. If y'all really are adamant about not hitting me, do something else, Ah just want y'all ta throw yer reluctance an' shame out the window an' do somethin' y'all ain't used ta doin'." he said simply, trying to make her more confident in her decisions.

She didn't respond, she obviously wasn't very comfortable with this method and process, but she knew Big Mac knew that and that's why he was teaching this way. So Fluttershy took a leap of faith and did something that did indeed catch Big Mac off guard.

She lunged forward quickly and hugged him tightly around his torso. How she managed to get her arms on the inside of his, was a mystery to him.

He was stunned by her actions, but not entirely surprised, it was after all, a good alternative to hitting him. He initially decided against hugging her back, as that would force her to do something she wasn't comfortable with for a longer duration. But to his surprise, she continued hugging him, continuing her actions for much longer than he was anticipating. So after a few more seconds of contemplating, he hugged her back gently.

The End.

**(Lol Jk, we're only about halfway guys.)**

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this update took longer than I originally planned, this is simply due to laziness, I could've finished this chapter a few days ago, but like I said, laziness. So…sorry about that.**

**Also, I know that the ending to this chapter was kind of an odd cutoff point, but that's because this chapter was really beginning to drag on (In my opinion).**

**Thanks everybody for advice, follows, reviews, or just for simply reading.**

**I'd also like to give a shout-out to "****me quazzy****", I'm not really into his stories, (but maybe you will be), I do however enjoy his "OC battles" though, even having one of my OC's in it. (Which is awesome BTW).**

**Anyway, feel free to review whatever your heart pleases or PM me any comments, questions or advice. The next chapter should be up within a week from now, (only a few days if I'm not being lazy).**

**Thanks again.**

**Also, if I might add…****10K WORDS WOOOOOOOOOOO!****...That is all.**


	5. Can cook and dance? No wonder

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, I'll explain that at the end, I'll try to update the next chapter sooner. Not much** **to say, so on with it.**

CHAPTER 5. June 7th/02/4:22 PM/3rd person.

After a few more seconds the pair separated and stood speechless for a few moments before Fluttershy spoke up. "I feel kind of guilty." she said, surprisingly not having a large blush across her face.

"Why's that?" he asked curiously.

"…Because, I wasn't exactly uncomfortable when I did that." she said as she began blushing furiously mid-sentence.

Big Mac didn't exactly know how to respond. Luckily, he didn't have to, because shortly after Fluttershy said that there was a yell from the house. "Way ta go Macintosh! Now go in fer the kiss!" he heard an all too familiar woman's voice echo through his eardrums.

He then face-palmed and called back. "It ain't like that Granny!" he said louder than he had said anything for days.

"It sure does look that way!" she called back quickly. He decided not to call back as he knew all too well that he wasn't going to get anywhere talking to his grandmother.

"Ah'm sorry about her, she hasn't been on her meds recently." he said jokingly.

She laughed lightly for a few seconds before she responded. "It's ok, I think she's funnier this way." she said in response.

"No doubt, but she also says whatever jus' happens ta be floatin' around her head." he said plainly and continued. "An' sometimes, it ain't somethin' people wanna hear." he said and got another call from Granny Smith.

"Big Macintosh, Ah know y'all heard me!" Granny Smith called from the house.

"Eeyup!" he called back simply and waited for her response.

"Ah'm gonna whup y'all when yer girlfriend leaves!" she called back loudly.

"Alright." he called back, dialing the volume of his voice down slightly. He stopped hearing responses from Granny Smith after that.

Fluttershy laughed slightly and spoke up. "I actually think she's serious! You better watch out." she said half-jokingly and laughed some more.

He laughed as well before responding. "She ain't one ta bluff, so Ah think yer right." he said with a friendly smile on his face.

Fluttershy was about to respond when her stomach suddenly growled, catching her and Big Mac off guard.

"Unless y'all have a baby dragon inside of ya, Ah'd have ta guess that yer hungry, right?" he asked with a voice of inquiry accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

"…Yes, I skipped lunch today, I should've thought ahead a bit more." she said admittedly as she blushed slightly.

"Well, we have plenty of food in the house if y'all want any." he offered.

"No, I'm fi-" she was saying before her stomach growled again, louder this time.

"Come on, let's go get some food in y'all before ya turn into nothin'." he said as he turned to the side and gestured for her to follow him.

"O-ok if it's not a bother to you." she said as she began following.

"Not at all." he said simply and started walking, Fluttershy close behind.

After a short walk, the pair entered the house through the back door and were heading toward the kitchen when they were (not surprisingly) stopped by Granny Smith.

"Well howdy there lovebirds. Done with "warmin' up" already?" she asked, sounding completely serious.

This time Fluttershy wasn't the only one who turned red. Big Macintosh quickly got ahold of his emotions and replied.

"Granny...how many times do Ah have ta tell y'all that it ain't like that?" he asked, trying to keep his emotions from seeping into his voice.

"There ain't a specific number, but Ah reckon there's two answers to that question." she said causing Big Mac to raise his eyebrow in curiosity.

"An' what're they?" he asked curiously, not fully prepared for her answer.

"Ah'll stop askin' under two circumstances, the first un bein' that Ah die and the second un bein' y'all have a kid. Whichever comes first." she said causing Big Mac to cringe internally as he thought about his grandmother passing away. She then continued. "But Ah hope y'all ain't gonna take too long on that second un, because Ah wanna see the face of at least one of my great grands before Ah leave ya ta take care of the farm in my stead." she said, causing Big Mac to don a more saddened look.

"Granny…y'all know Ah hate when ya talk about dyin'." he said simply.

"Well, death is a reality Macintosh an' we all know Ah'm closer to it than anyone within a hundred miles." she said not helping Big Macintosh's mood in the slightest.

"Ah'm not talkin' about this right now." he said simply, concealing his emotions as he headed for the kitchen.

"Fine, we'll talk 'bout it later when Ah'm whuppin' ya, fer back talkin' me." she said as she headed for the door at a reasonable pace for her age.

He didn't respond, waiting for the sound of the door closing, to continue speaking to the women who stayed silent during it all. "…Don't worry about her, Ah'll be damned if she doesn't outlive me, she has more kick in her than any apple alive today." he said defiantly after stopping in the kitchen.

"I understand." she said simply.

"So, what would y'all like ta eat?" he said changing the subject.

"Well, what do you have?" she asked curiously.

"We have leftovers from yesterday which includes collard greens, mashed turnips, corn on the cob, spinach, carrots and an assortment of apple desserts and dishes." he said as he opened the fridge, allowing her the opportunity to look inside, he then continued. "But if y'all don't want any of that, Ah can make ya somethin' else or we can go somewhere else ta eat." he said honestly.

"No, no, the leftovers sound fine, but, what do you have for apple dishes? That's your family's specialty so I'm just wondering." she asked in anticipation of his answer.

"Well, we have fritters, pie, dumplin's, crisps and I think that's about it, we tend to save the other dishes for costumers unless we have a hankerin' fer somethin'." he said as he tried being as informative as he could.

"Can I try some apple pie?" she asked curiously.

"Well, we came in here fer y'all ta get somethin' ta eat, so yes, y'all can have some apple pie." he said simply and took two pies out of the fridge and placed them on the nearby counter.

"Why is there two?" she asked curiously.

"They're two different kinds of pie, one's sweeter and slightly softer while the other is a bit tarter and firm." he said as he pointed to both pies.

"Oh, ok, I'll have a piece of the sweeter one." she said simply.

"Would you like it warmed up?" he asked curiously.

"No, I like my pie cold." she said in response.

"Alright, the silverware is in that drawer over there" he said as he pointed to the drawer and then getting a plate and pie cutter and cut her a slice of the sweet pie.

After she returned with her fork, he gave her the plate with the pie on it. "Thank you." she said as he handed her the plate, she then cut a small piece out of it and took a bite.

She was instantly shocked at how good it tasted. She had only bought pies from Applejack a few times and she didn't remember any of them being as good as this one.

"This is the best pie I've ever eaten, tell Granny Smith she needs to share this recipe with me!" she said gleefully, knowing that she would never get the recipe.

"Actually, Ah made that pie. Granny made the other one. But Ah'm glad y'all like it!" he said in a happy tone.

"You…made this pie?...will you share the recipe with me?" she asked curiously.

"Ah don't have a recipe, Apple Bloom wanted something sweeter than Granny's pie, so I made that." he said simply before continuing. "But Ah could probably recreate it, if Ah can remember the ingredients." he said optimistically.

"So you'll try?" she asked curiously, extremely insistent on learning this recipe.

"Yes, Ah'll try, but only under one circumstance." he said, causing Fluttershy to give him a look of inquiry.

"And what's that?" she asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Y'all have ta continue trainin' with me." he said, causing Fluttershy to cock her head to the side slightly with a confused look on her face.

"I was planning on doing that anyway, becoming a stronger person is going to help me later on." she said simply.

"Alright then. Do y'all want ta continue after you're done eatin' or do ya want ta do this another time?" he asked curiously.

"I suppose we should continue after I'm done eating. It would be rude to walk over here and only stay for a few minutes, eat your food and then leave." she said, making a good point.

"Ah guess that's true." he said plainly and continued. "…Fluttershy." he said simply, not sure how he should bring up his next question.

"Yes?" she asked in response. He was hesitant on his response, but he knew he should ask as it would open up new possibilities.

"…Do y'all…know how ta dance?" he asked curiously. She was surprised by the sudden question but answered as best she could.

"I used to know how to do a simple waltz, but it's been years since the last time I danced. So no, probably not." she said in response.

"Then Ah guess that's the next thing we'll do." he said, sparking a two-toned response from Fluttershy.

"Oh ok-Wait, what!?" she asked in utter confusion.

"Ah'm gonna teach y'all how ta dance." he said as if he was talking about the weather.

** A/N: Hey guys, sorry if that chapter didn't have much significance (in all honesty it really didn't) and for such a short chapter after the relatively long wait.**

** I didn't do any work for the first 3 days after I posted chapter 4 and the following days were plagued with bad timing, I couldn't get on as much because I work on a shared computer and of course the other free time I had was full of laziness. **

**So I'm really sorry for making you wait, the next update should come a little sooner (can't guarantee). Also, I have a question.**

** Do you think I should make the rating higher? There's not really anything "inappropriate" but I can't see anyone under 11 understanding or being able to enjoy the story, so I really don't know if I should make the rating higher or not.**

** Also, I've been wondering if I should add a second Genre, because this story has elements of family and friendship outside of romance, so I'm just wondering if I should leave it at just romance or add another Genre (and if I should add another Genre, what should it be?)**

** Tell me what you think I should do. **

**Not much else to say. **

**Thanks again.**


	6. The tapping of shoes on hardwood

**So sorry for the wait guys, some stuff actually came up this time.**

**On with the story.**

**CHAPTER 6. June 7****th****/02/4:46 PM/3****rd**** person.**

"You're going to teach me…how to dance?" she asked with curious confusion.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response.

"I didn't even know you could dance." she said as she scratched her brow with one finger accompanied by a befuddled look.

"There's a lot that no-one knows about me." he said honestly pointing out a very true fact.

"What else can you do? Let me guess you're also a good singer?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah wouldn't say Ah'm a good singer, but Ah guess y'all could say Ah can sing." he said modestly.

"…You're a complete enigma, you know that." she said as she gave him a deadpan look.

"Well, nobody really tries ta get ta know me, so Ah guess in a way that's true." he said as he shrugged slightly.

Fluttershy seemed slightly saddened by his last choice of words. "…That's not fair, you deserve friends just as much as anyone else." she said defiantly catching Big Mac somewhat off guard.

"Ah have friends. An' in the end, even if Ah can only count 'em on one hand, at least Ah'm lucky enough ta have 'em." he said genuinely.

Fluttershy stayed quiet for a while, thinking about what he said. "…So what dances do you know?" she asked curiously, changing the subject.

"Well, Ah only really know how ta waltz, but Ah used ta be able ta tap dance an' Ah knew how ta swing dance…but it's been about ten years since Ah had trainin' of any sort, so Ah doubt Ah can do those energetic ones anymore." he said honestly, never ceasing to surprise Fluttershy.

"You used to tap dance and swing dance!?" she asked in utter shock.

"Well Ah never had a partner ta swing dance with, so Ah guess Ah never did that. But Ah did tap dance when Ah use ta have more free time." he said plainly.

"…Wow…but how can you know how to swing dance without ever doing it?" she asked curiously.

"Well, ma an' pa used ta dance a lot. Ma taught me the ins an' outs of dancin', but Ah wasn't strong enough or tall enough ta swing dance with her, so Ah ended up just watchin' an' copyin' pa's movements. Eventually, Ah got pretty good at it, but…Ah never got ta see if Ah could actually do it." he said in a somewhat glum tone toward the end.

Fluttershy considered apologizing but decided against it, as she didn't mean to bring up his parents. "…So…you want me to be your partner?" she asked curiously.

"Ah suppose so, but Ah'd have ta teach ya first, if yer alright with that." he said with a raised eyebrow, half expecting her to decline.

"…Well, I don't know, this is kinda sudden." she said somewhat hesitantly.

He chuckled lightly before responding. "The last day an' a half has been nothin' but sudden!" he said half-jokingly and let out another short series of chuckles.

She reared back slightly and donned a look of thought, before letting out a series of laughter herself. "You're right!" she said in agreement as the pair began laughing together for a short amount of time.

"Ya know what, fine, let's do this!" Fluttershy said gleefully.

"That's the spirit!" Big Mac said enthusiastically in response.

After Fluttershy was done eating, the pair headed into the living room, it was a relatively scarce room with a decent amount of space. Perfect for dancing or parties (not that they ever hosted any).

Big Macintosh offered his hand to Fluttershy, who took it gently. Big Macintosh gingerly held her significantly smaller and softer hand with his own, the pair then walked into the center of the room and faced each other.

The two then took the appropriate positions, albeit, the transition was somewhat awkward and clunky. He cupped his free hand and rested it on her shoulder blade, while she raised her left arm and rested her hand halfway on his shoulder and halfway on his upper arm. The two then stared at each other donning completely different looks.

Fluttershy had a slight blush mixed with a small and slightly nervous looking smile, while Big Mac was almost the opposite.

He seemed much calmer as he stared down at Fluttershy with a reassuring smile on his face.

"Follow my lead." he said as he waited for her response before taking action.

"O-ok." she said somewhat nervously.

The pair then began moving slowly (and rather awkwardly) in a small square pattern as they stared at each other.

"Try ta relax a bit." he said, taking note of how tense she felt.

"Alright." she said quietly in response.

The two continued rotating slowly in a square, becoming slightly more fluid as Fluttershy relaxed her muscles slightly.

"Steady yer breathin'." he said, once again taking note of something Fluttershy was doing.

"I-I'll try." she said, stammering a bit.

The two continued for a few more minutes as they gradually became more in tune with each other's movements, making their square pattern into more of a circle.

"Yer doin' good." he said as he smiled genuinely toward her, causing her to blush slightly.

"Thanks…" she said quietly in response.

The two continued for what seemed like a while to both of them, but in reality it had only been a couple minutes, the pair just continued dancing, forgetting about the world around them, their movements increasing in fluidity as they circled around the room semi-gracefully.

Big Macintosh then decided to speak up. "Do y'all wanna try goin' faster?" he asked curiously.

"Eeyup." she said simply in response, causing his smile to widen as they increased speed.

The bottom of Fluttershy's dress flaring out with each rotation. Her simplistic canary yellow flats lightly tapping against the hardwood floor in contrast to the thumping of her partner's work boots. Her nervous smile and tense muscles were now long gone as she smiled sincerely at Big Mac.

After a few more minutes, the pair finally stopped their dance and stared into each other's eyes, their smiles replaced with deadpan stares as they seemed lost in each other's gaze, neither one preparing to move until they heard a shrill girl's exclamation of excitement, snapping both of them out of their trance-like state and causing them to look in the direction of the noise.

"You two are sooo cute together!" squealed Apple Bloom happily.

For the first time in a while, Big Macintosh was at a loss for words.

"Ah always thought y'all an' Miss Cheerilee were together, Ah guess Ah was wrong!" she said with great enthusiasm.

"It ain't what it looks like Apple Bloom." he said, sounding ever so slightly nervous.

Fluttershy remained quiet, having a stunned expression on her face.

"Well, it sure did look like y'all was dancin' fer a good ten minutes an' then ya stared into each other's eyes all romantic-like." Apple Bloom said, bringing up a very valid point.

Big Mac didn't know what to say, he considered telling her about Fluttershy's confidence training, but she probably wouldn't understand how dancing has anything to do with confidence.

"Well, even if y'all deny it, y'all looked happier than ya have in a long time, so even Ah can tell there's more goin' on than what yer sayin'." she said, showing a surprising amount of wisdom for someone her age.

Big Macintosh silently cursed his sister's cleverness, but he took her words with a grain of salt. "Apple Bloom…" he said trailing off.

"Aw hush up, Ah'm gonna go hang out with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. See ya later Big Mac." she said briskly as she walked out the front door.

Fluttershy and Big Macintosh stood silently for a few moments before Fluttershy broke the silence.

"Is she allowed to talk to you like that?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"…Ah may've raised her, but Ah'm still her brother, so there's no rules of speech for us." he said as he seemed to stare past Fluttershy absent-mindedly.

"Oh…ok." she said simply in response.

"…Ah suppose we're done fer today." he said, still seeming as if he wasn't all there.

"…Alright." She said in an almost sad sounding tone.

Big Mac didn't seem to notice, but he snapped out of his half-minded phase and responded. "When's the next time y'all can be around?" he asked curiously.

She tilted her head slightly as her face donned a thought-processing face, after a few moments she responded. "Well, I can't make it tomorrow, or the day after, but I can probably manage Monday, if you're free." she said in an orderly fashion.

"Alright, Ah can make extra time on Monday, but what time is good fer y'all?" he asked curiously.

"Umm, a little earlier than when we started today…so around 2:30 or 3:00 would be good." she said, being as informative as possible.

"Alright." he said simply and continued. "Would y'all like me ta walk y'all home?" he asked curiously.

"No, I'm going to meet up with a friend soon. But thank you for the offer." she said honestly.

"Eeyup." he said simply and then the two headed for the front door.

"See you in a couple days." she said with a friendly smile on her face.

"Hopefully." he said in response as he opened the front door for her.

"Bye…" she said, her face looking as if she was unsure of what she wanted to do.

"Bye." he said simply, sharing a similar but more subtle expression.

She then walked away as Big Macintosh watched her go for a few lingering moments before heading back inside and shutting the door.

**A/N:**** I'm going to go through and try to proofread previous chapters, so that may make the update take a little longer, but I promise to try and be as quick as possible this time around.**

**Advice/tips/criticism/comments of any kind are appreciated. Once again, feel free to PM me, I'm game to talk about whatever it is you want to talk about.**

**Thanks Again.**

**(And thanks for the follows guys, every time I get a new follower for this story I check them out and it makes me want to get updates out quicker).  
**


	7. Two close friends chat

**A/N: Hey guys. Not much to say, I'll leave any explanations for the end (which I do with most chapters).**

**CHAPTER 7. June 7****th****/02/5:28 PM/3****rd**** person (Fluttershy overview).**

Fluttershy walked into the café, quickly finding her close friend sitting at a nearby table with two cups of coffee.

The woman waved with a happy smile on her face and gestured for Fluttershy to come over.

Fluttershy did as the woman requested and walked over to the her. Once she arrived at the table the woman stood up and hugged Fluttershy affectionately for a few brief seconds.

"How are you Fluttershy" she asked.

"I'm doing well, how're you Rarity?" she asked her close friend.

Oh darling, I've been great, albeit a bit busy, but I certainly can't complain!" Rarity said happily and continued. "But Fluttershy, I must ask what you have been up to. I've been hearing rumors that you were with a man yesterday? Is this true!?" Rarity asked in eager curiosity.

Fluttershy was immediately shocked at hearing this. She had literally just entered the building and Rarity outright asked her what she hoped to keep a secret from her of all people. "Where'd you hear that?" Fluttershy asked, feigning confusion.

"Oh hush now darling, I already know the answer." Rarity said simply, seeing straight through fluttershy's ruse.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, putting up a pretty decent guise.

Rarity continued talking as if Fluttershy hadn't asked anything. "Who is he!? Give me details." she asked insistently.

"Umm, I still don't know what you're talking about." Fluttershy said, following up on her ruse rather well.

"Fluttershy dear, you can stop lying now, I know you were with a man yesterday, I just want to know who it was." Rarity said, not taking no for an answer.

"Fine…I was with a man." Fluttershy said, finally admitting to Rarity. But before Rarity could say anything Fluttershy cut in. "But it's not like that!" she said with enough emphasis that Rarity must've got the picture.

"Oh? Then how is it darling?" Rarity asked curiously.

Fluttershy was hesitant on her response, because she wasn't sure how to say her next set of words. "He's teaching me to become stronger." she said simply.

"You mean like Iron Will? That monster that turned you into a complete ruffian!?" Rarity asked in shocked surprise.

"No, his methods are…different." Fluttershy said hesitating on the last word.

"How so?" Rarity asked with a somewhat concerned look on her face.

"I'd rather not elaborate, you'd probably get the wrong idea." she said honestly, knowing her friend wouldn't be offended.

"You're probably right, so I'll stop badgering you." she said but after a few moments spoke up again. "But who is he!?" Rarity asked being extremely insistent.

"If I told you, you would end up spying on him and violating his privacy. I understand your concern but it'd be better if you just didn't worry about it." Fluttershy said convincingly.

"While that may be true, if you don't tell me who this man is, who's going to keep an eye on you if he tries anything?" Rarity said in response.

"I may not know him that well, but I know he wouldn't intentionally hurt me, he's probably the most genuine man I've ever met." Fluttershy said as she broke eye contact with Rarity and took a sip of her coffee. "I forgot to thank you for the coffee." she said, trying to change the subject.

"Don't worry about it, but darling. Are you talking about who I think you're talking about?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Well, I don't know who you're thinking of, so I don't know." Fluttershy said in honest confusion.

Rarity looked intently at Fluttershy's face, provoking Fluttershy to look away. "It's Big Macintosh, isn't it." Rarity asked, already knowing the answer.

Fluttershy tried playing it off. "Applejack's brother?" she asked in false confusion.

"Oh my goodness it is! You were with Big Macintosh!" Rarity said, slightly louder than she intended, catching the attention of a few people in the café.

Fluttershy then began blushing furiously before she responded. "Yes, ok? Please keep your voice down." she said hastily with a distressed look on her face.

"Oh sorry dear, but really, Big Macintosh?" Rarity asked in shock.

"Yes Big Mac, Ju-" Fluttershy was saying before being cut off.

"Did you just refer to him as "Big Mac"?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Well, doesn't everyone?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"No, as far as I know, only acquaintances or family call him Big Mac." Rarity said in response.

"Oh, well, he told me to call him that." she said; taking another sip of her coffee.

Rarity ignored Fluttershy's response and continued with a different thought process. "Fluttershy…even if he seems like he has good intentions because of who he is, he may not; you really don't know him well enough to make a reasonable judgment." Rarity said.

Fluttershy seemed irritated by Rarity's words and completely changed the tone of her voice. "And you do!? You probably think that he's a simpleton who shares the same aspirations as a rock!...and I'm ashamed to admit that I probably thought the same thing before I actually met him." Fluttershy said, her sentence having two halves. The first half being anger and the second half being disappointment in herself.

"…Perhaps you're right, but it's only fair to assume that much about a man that hardly speaks, save for a few words; mixed with the fact that he eats, sleeps and breathes farming." Rarity said in response.

Fluttershy once again seemed to take offense by what Rarity said. "What about Applejack? And Apple Bloom? Granny Smith even. They were all raised on a farm and Applejack is one of your best friends; Apple Bloom is one of Sweetie Belle's best friends. You assume that he's dumb, dirty, uncouth and one dimensional, but why?" Fluttershy asked curiously, taking a rather curt tone.

"Fluttershy darling, I'm sorry if I offended you; but why are you taking the side of a man you just met, over one of your best friends?" Rarity asked with a hint of confusion, not answering Fluttershy's question.

"I'm not taking sides, I'm just telling you it's wrong to make assumptions about a person you know almost nothing about. I went in thinking the same things about him as you and so many other people and I was completely disgusted with myself for judging him when I found out that everything I thought about him, couldn't be more wrong." Fluttershy said as she dropped her gaze and donned a saddened expression.

Rarity seemed shocked by Fluttershy's words. Hesitating on her response. "Fluttershy…are you in…love?" Rarity asked suddenly, catching Fluttershy completely off guard.

"…No." Fluttershy said simply in response.

"You hesitated." Rarity said briskly.

"I had to think about it, ok?" Fluttershy said defensively.

Rarity leaned in closer as she rested her weight on one of her elbows. "Fluttershy, you met him yesterday, you shouldn't have to think about it. Your heart is playing your mind for a fool and in a way, that's a good thing, but you must understand that love at first sight never goes well…I would know." Rarity said honestly in response.

"I'm not in love with him!" Fluttershy said defiantly.

Rarity let out a small sigh before replying. "…Your words sing a different song than what you want them to." Rarity said plainly in response.

Fluttershy cocked her head slightly and responded. "…What?" Fluttershy asked, slightly confused by what Rarity said.

"You may be saying you don't love him, but the way you responded says something else entirely." Rarity said in response.

Fluttershy didn't know how to respond, she knew that to some extent, Rarity was right.

"It's alright Fluttershy, I was wondering when you would finally fall in love, I just never expected it to be with Applejack's brother." Rarity said, trying to reassure her friend.

"I told you, I don't love him." Fluttershy said, almost too quietly for Rarity to hear her.

"Perhaps you don't, but it is apparent that you have feelings for him, feelings that you're not experienced with." Rarity said, enlightening Fluttershy a bit.

"…What should I do? I don't know if I really have feelings for him…but I feel so comfortable around him. It's such a strange feeling, I've only known him for a day and yet, I feel so…safe when I'm with him." Fluttershy said with conflicting emotions in her head.

"Why are you asking me? I may claim to know what 'love' Is, but I've still never been in a serious relationship and I've fallen in love with men who I've never even met. So just trust your instincts darling, there's no advice I can give you that will truly help." Rarity said honestly.

"You can't help me!? Rarity the love expert, can't help me? That's ridiculous!" Fluttershy said with minor confusion and denial in her voice.

"It's not that I can't help you, it's just…my methods wouldn't work for you, sure I can make most men turn into a complete puppet for me, but is that love? Of course not and if I told you it was, I wouldn't be a very good "love expert" now would I?" Rarity said, making a very good point.

"So…you can't help me because you've never been in my position?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Well, that and many, many other reasons. It would kill me to see you use your wiles on a man, especially one that you possibly want a future with," Rarity said admittedly and continued. "It would kill me even more, if I was the one who taught you to use those wiles; see where I'm going with this?" Rarity said, making another good point.

"…Yes, but is there any way you can help me?" Fluttershy asked in an almost desperate tone.

"Fluttershy, even if I gave you my advice, you said yourself that you're not sure if you have feelings for him, so why would I give you relationship advice for someone you're not sure about. Just take it slow; in time your true feelings will become apparent, if they don't, then it's not meant to be; just be your beautiful little self and you'll be fine." Rarity said with a reassuring smile.

"Ok, I'll keep that in mind…thank you Rarity." Fluttershy said genuinely with a grateful smile on her face.

"Of course darling! Anytime!" Rarity said in response.

And for the better part of an hour, the two continued talking about whatever it is two close lady-friends talk about.

**A/N: Hey guys, pretty different huh? No Big Mac. Also, I really don't know what it is women talk about when they have the time, sure it would make some sense that I would seeing as I have 4 sisters and most of my friends are girls, but alas, it couldn't be further from the truth.**

**And if I rabbled on about whatever it is that they would talk about, 1 I run the risk of making the characters too OOC (Out Of Character) and 2 it wouldn't have any significance for the story.**

**So anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, the next will be in a similar format, but with Big Mac instead of Fluttershy. And I'll try to get it up in the span of 3-4 days.**

**Also, tell me if I should start making chapters a little longer, they average at about 1.8k-2k right now, so if you want me to make longer chapters, it may take longer to update, but each chapter will be a bit more fleshed out. Also, tell me what number count I should try to average on (for example 2k, 3k, 4k, Etc.).**

**Anyway.**

**Thanks again.**


	8. Two siblings talk

**So anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, the next will be in a similar format, but with Big Mac instead of Fluttershy. And I'll try to get it up in the span of 3-4 days.**

**Thanks again.**

**A/M: Hello ladies and gentlemen (didn't see that comin' huh!?). Once again, I'll leave any explanation for the end.**

**CHAPTER 8. June 7****th****/02/6:56 PM/3****rd**** person (Big Macintosh overview).**

Big Mac was setting up the table, with the help of Granny Smith and Apple Bloom while they waited for Applejack to get back from selling merchandise.

After a couple of minutes, the family had finished setting up and not ten seconds later Applejack waltzed through the front door. "Howdy," she called into the kitchen, provoking a response-greeting from her family.

Once she entered the dining room, she quickly took her seat next to Big Macintosh, who was at the head of the large table, it was a long and sturdy table, looking like it could seat twelve people comfortably. Apple Bloom was seated on the opposite side of the table, directly adjacent to Applejack, while Granny Smith sat down next to Apple Bloom.

It wasn't often that they used all the space that the table offered, but it was definitely a useful feature considering how much family they had and how often they had guests.

Once everyone was comfortable, Granny Smith spoke up. "Alright, Ev'ryone bow yer heads an' close yer eyes." she said, everyone quickly following her instructions.

After the prayer was said, the family quickly ate their food, cleaned their plates and put their remaining food away.

After dinner was done, Big Mac went out to the front porch and took a seat in the biggest of the 4 rocking chairs, taking it easy after a long day and a large meal.

After only a minute or so, Big Mac heard the front door open. He looked over to see Applejack, who came and sat down in the chair next to him. "Howdy Big Mac, how was yer day with Fluttershy?" she asked curiously as she looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"It was fine." he said simply as he looked out at the nearby town, as the sun gradually became lower in the sky.

"Jus' fine?" she asked, once again donning a curious tone.

"Eeyup." he said simply with an emotionless face.

"What did y'all do?" she asked.

He looked at her with a slightly furrowed brow as he responded. "Why are y'all askin'?" he asked curiously.

"Well, Ah'm jus' curious." she said plainly.

He hesitated on his response, he wasn't about to lie to his sister, but he seriously didn't want her knowing about his dance with Fluttershy. "It's not important." he said plainly in response.

"Ah asked 'cus it's important ta me. Now tell me." she asked somewhat demandingly.

He expelled a small amount of air out of his nose as he let out a single small laugh. "We learned." he said simply, technically answering her question, but obviously not satisfying her request.

"Y'all know that's not what Ah meant!" she said in a slightly peeved tone.

"It doesn't matter." he said simply and continued. "How'd y'all even know she was gonna be here today?" he asked curiously with a furrowed brow of both confusion and slight frustration.

Her eyes widened slightly for a few brief seconds before she responded. "Oh, well, about that…Apple Bloom told me." she said as she averted her eyes from his face.

He gave her a deadpan look before he responded. "Ah'm not an idiot Applejack, Ah know Apple Bloom didn't tell y'all anythin'." he said knowingly.

"How do y'all know?" she asked somewhat defensively.

He leaned in a little bit before responding. "She pinkie promised me that she wouldn't." he said with a smirk spread across his face.

"…Oh." Applejack said in response, not knowing any other way to respond.

"So how did y'all really know?" he asked curiously, already having an idea of how but wanting her to say it herself.

"Ah…uhhh-" she was saying before Big Mac cut in.

"Y'all eavesdropped didn't ya?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"…Yes." She said as she looked down at her feet in shame.

He was hesitant on his response, trying to put some thought into his next choice of words. "…It's alright. Ah don't blame ya." he said honestly.

She looked up with a somewhat shocked look on her face. "What? Why?" she asked in utter confusion.

"Ah probably woulda done the same thing if Ah was in yer shoes." he said honestly.

"Yeah right." she said doubtfully in response.

"It's true, if y'all brought a man home, y'all best believe Ah'd be eavesdroppin'; not even adding the whole 'best friend' factor," he said honestly and continued. "Believe it or not, Ah understand why y'all did what ya did." he said, empathizing with her.

She chuckled lightly before responding. "An' why's that?" she asked curiously.

"Because y'all want ta protect what's important to ya an' y'all would do anything ta keep yer loved ones safe." he said knowingly.

She chuckled for a few seconds again before responding. "Ya know, sometimes Ah forget that we're much more similar than we are different." she said honestly.

"Eeyup." he said simply in agreement.

She was silent for a few moments before speaking up. "...Y'all would eavesdrop on me if Ah brought a man home?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"Probably not; that was just an example." he said honestly.

She face-palmed before responding. "Then what would y'all do!?" she asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah'm not sure, y'all haven't ever brought a man home." he said as he shrugged slightly.

"…Thanks." she said sarcastically.

"No problem." he said jokingly in response.

"But seriously, what would y'all do?" she asked curiously, persisting with her question.

"Ah'd probably just introduce myself, there ain't a whole lot more Ah'd need ta do." he said honestly.

She looked away from him for a moment with a look of thought on her face. "That's probably true." she said in agreement.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response.

She was hesitant on her next response. "Hey Big Mac." she said, getting his attention.

"Eeyup?" he asked as he looked at her with a curious look on his face.

"Can Ah ask y'all a favor?" she asked, already knowing what he would say.

"Eeyup." He said simply. As he normally did.

"Can you bring somethin' of mine to Carousel Boutique tomorrow whenever y'all have time?" she asked curiously, not telling him why she needed whatever it was delivered.

He considered asking why she couldn't do it, but decided against it. "Eeyup." he said in response.

"Thanks." she said as she stood up from her chair and continued. "An' remember what Ah said." she said as she prepared to head inside.

"What's that?" he asked, not sure what she meant.

She dropped her previous tone and donned a more serious one. "If y'all hurt Fluttershy, Ah'll hogtie ya an' leave y'all in the pig pen fer three days." she said threateningly as she glared intently at him.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response, knowing full well that she was serious.

"Good." she said simply and went back inside the house.

Big Mac just simply sat in his chair and relaxed, watching the horizon slowly change colors.

"…Ah would never hurt you…Fluttershy." he said quietly to no-one in particular as he smiled softly and stared out into the world.

**A/N: Hey guys, this was the shortest chapter yet (I think), I couldn't really think of any way to extend this chapter beyond what it is now (other than adding the prayer and eating, but I'm sure no-one wants to read that), I'm sure I left out something that I was going to put into this chapter but eh, who knows.**

**Also, about the prayer they said before the meal. I'm sorry if that offended anyone (I'm not sure how it could, but best to apologize if it did), I added that because I live in the south (GA) and the majority of people down here (at least it seems like the majority) are Christians, so I wanted to try and make them (the apples) more genuine.**

**Also, (this is kinda unrelated) I honestly hate when people add prayer to Princess Celestia (or both princesses). They aren't Goddesses, they're just the rulers of the land (not planet as some people think) of Equestria and In all honesty, they aren't even that powerful and they themselves probably just think of themselves as rulers, not Goddesses.**

**So…(at least in my stories) there won't be any Princess worship.**

**Well. There might be, but not in this story and not by any sane people.**

**The next chapter should be up before this time next week.**


	9. The Farmer and the Seamstress

**A/N: So sorry for the wait guys, I've been having trouble with uploading documents recently. Anyway, enough chit chat. **

**CHAPTER 9. June 8****th****/02/10:38 AM/3****rd**** person (Big Macintosh overview).**

Big Mac decided to wait a few hours before leaving for Carousel Boutique. He didn't want to run the risk of coming too early and ending up either waiting or walking back to the farm; either way it would be a waste of time.

So once it was at a reasonable hour for most people and especially most businesses, he set out; Applejack's package in hand.

It was a rather large package, not very heavy, but still rather large.

He continued walking in silence, through the charming town that he was so used to. Not a lot of people were around, considering the time it was.

After about ten-fifteen minutes of walking, he arrived at the Carousel Boutique, the property of two close family friends, Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

He knocked on the door a few times, feeling foolish after noticing that there was a doorbell.

After roughly a minute, the door opened to reveal a beautiful woman by the name of Rarity, her face was adorned with red low-rimmed glasses and her neck had a measuring tape for sewing and/or body measurements hanging loosely from it. Big Macintosh decided not to examine her clothes as she might've got the wrong idea and because he really didn't care about what people wore (for the most part).

"Oh! Hello Big Macintosh! Come in!" she said as she stepped to the side, giving enough room for him to pass.

"There's no need fer me ta come in, Ah'm jus' deliverin' a package for Applejack." he said simply as he presented the box to her.

"Oh no, I insist! Come in!" she said enthusiastically.

He was hesitant at first, but knew it would be rude to decline, so he walked inside, Rarity closing the door behind him.

He wasn't sure what to do, he was just expecting a quick delivery.

"So, Big Mac; if I may call you that?" she said in a slower tone than just previously.

"Eeyup." he said simply.

"Ok, Big Mac, how're you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Goo-" he was saying before she continued speaking.

"That's interesting." she said briskly as she began slowly circling him.

If he wasn't sure what to do before, he certainly wasn't sure what to do now.

"Now then, I'll just get right to the point; no need to dance around it all day." she said as she stopped in front of him.

He didn't respond as he figured it wouldn't make a difference anyway.

"I've been informed recently, that you and my dear friend Fluttershy have been 'training' recently. Is this true?" she asked in a calm but demanding tone.

He knew this wasn't going to end very well, but he knew it was unavoidable at this point. "Eeyup." he said simply.

"Interesting, what kind of training is this?" she asked curiously.

He was hesitant on replying, he wasn't even sure how he got wrapped up in all this hoopla anyway. "Strength and confidence training." he said simply.

"And what does this 'training' entail?" she asked curiously as she began circling him again.

"Dancin'." he said simply, catching the seamstress off-guard.

"Come again darling? It sounded like you said dancing?" she asked with a confused look on her face as she stopped circling.

"Eeyup." he said simply, knowing full well that she heard him.

"Dancing? Why in the world would you teach her how to dance?" she asked in utter surprise and confusion.

"It's not somethin' she's really comfortable with and it's a good alternative ta our other options." he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"…Well, I know why Fluttershy didn't want to talk about it now." she said with a look of thought.

He didn't respond. He didn't like being in awkward situations like this one.

"I'm sorry for the sudden change in mood and the demanding questions…I'm just so protective of Fluttershy. I don't want her to get hurt; she is one of my closest friends after all." she said honestly.

"…It's alright, Ah understand…if it's all the same ta y'all, her safety is the main reason Ah'm trainin' her." he said honestly, catching Rarity off-guard again.

"What…do you mean?" she asked in curious confusion.

He looked down at the floor for a few moments before lifting his head to meet her eyes. "When we first met, it was apparent that she was a shy an' fragile women…an' Ah knew that there's people; men in particular, who could very well take advantage of her...so Ah wanted her ta become a stronger and more confident person ta help avoid situations like that…I just want her ta be safe." he said honestly.

Rarity was silent for a few moments, taking in what he said before responding. "...She was right." she said suddenly, more to herself than to him.

"About what?" he asked in curiosity.

"I misjudged you…she told me you were different from other men and I didn't even have the manners to consider that she was right…for that, I owe both of you an apology." she said honestly.

He hesitated on his response for a few brief seconds. "Don't apologize, y'all was jus' lookin' out fer Fluttershy's best interests, sure Ah'm Applejack's brother, but that's all Ah am ta y'all, that doesn't mean Ah ain't still a stranger." he said in genuine honesty.

Rarity donned a look of shame before responding. "You really are a gentleman aren't you?" she asked in a flat tone.

"Thank ya, but Ah wouldn't say Ah'm a gentleman; Ah don't have enough manners or cleanliness, Ah jus' know how people should be treated." he said honestly.

"Just saying that makes you a gentleman! You're humble, courteous and kind, everything else is just an added bonus." she said in an honest sounding tone.

"If y'all say so." he said as he shrugged slightly.

She didn't respond right away and her current, vigorous behavior, seemed to die down a bit. "…Would it be alright if I ask a favor of you?" she asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response.

"Can you not say anything about this to Fluttershy…I'd prefer if this interaction just stayed between us." She said in a very slightly pleading voice.

"Ah understand, Ah won't say anythin'." he said honestly as he nodded his head slightly.

"Thank you; if you don't mind I think I'll take that package now." she said as she gestured toward Applejack's package.

He didn't respond as he handed her the box.

"And…before you go, can I make one more request?" she asked curiously.

He simply nodded in response.

"Can you…consider giving Fluttershy a chance…I know it's quite a bit too soon to be considering things like that, but…something about you, just feels right when paired up with her; you don't have to answer, I just want you to consider it…consider her." she said as she looked at him with a serious gaze.

He was mildly surprised by her words, but soon donned a look of deep thought. After a few long moments of thought, he responded. "…That's a lot ta ask of a fella…but, Ah gotta wonder…does she…have those feelin's fer me?" he asked curiously.

Rarity let out a small sigh before responding. "I can't say, that's for you to determine…just consider it." she said plainly in response.

"…In case she does have feelin's fer me…can y'all tell me what Ah should do? Ah haven't pursued a women in a number of years…an' Ah was awfully young an' foolish back then…" he said in a somewhat desperate tone.

"Just take it slow and be very gentle with her…I know it's a lot to ask and I understand if you're not comfortable doing it." she said honestly.

"…Ah'll consider it." he said hesitantly.

"Thank you…and good luck." she said honestly.

"Eeyup." he said simply as he prepared to depart for home. "Ah suppose Ah've heard ev'rythin' yer gonna say, so I guess it'd be best if I left." he said as he headed for the door.

"I suppose so. Goodbye Big Macintosh." she said plainly.

He let out a small bye as he raised his right hand for a few seconds to signal "farewell". Then he opened the door and left for home. He had a lot of thinking and contemplating to do.

"Ah hope this won't get in the way of work…" he said as he looked up at the sky.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the delay. I was going to update yesterday (maybe even the day before) but a lot of things came up and I just recently got a job, so I have to divide up my time more; anyhow.**

**Rest easy guys, have a nice day Etc. Etc.**


	10. Ah knew it!

**A/N: Hey guys. I must say right now; I'm so sorry for the wait. As you probably know. I recently got a job and that, coupled with school and other things has really been digging into my time.**

**Also, I recently started playing a few games again (Soul Calibur 5 &amp; Fallout 3: game of the year edition, in case anyone was wondering) and they've really been cutting into my time. So after I get off work or finish school, my thoughts aren't "Better start writing!" it's either "Time to start exploring!" or "Time to beat the crap out of people and rank up!" I'll try to divide up my time better from now on (or at the very least; the next update).**

**Anyway, enough of that. On with the story.**

**CHAPTER 10. June 8****th****/02/2:08 PM/3****rd**** person (Fluttershy Overview).**

After hours of consideration; to the point that her thoughts were now in the way of her work. Fluttershy decided it was about time to visit Applejack and ask her a few questions about Big Macintosh. She wasn't sure if Applejack was working in the fields or selling merchandise today but for the most part, Applejack sold merchandise the most, for various reasons. From what Fluttershy knew.

Granny had a tough time getting around and was (from time to time) overly friendly and talkative and that was often bad for business; Apple Bloom was too young to run the stand on her own And Big Mac was not nearly as well-known or as good at speaking to customers as Applejack was. So in the end, Applejack was the best pick for running the Apple family's merchandise stand.

Fluttershy began her trek into town, keeping her eyes peeled for the Apple Family's stand. The problem was, Applejack (or whoever was running the stand) often changed the place where they sold merchandise. So Fluttershy was forced to look around for a good twenty minutes to find the position of the stand.

She was lucky she found it when she did, Applejack (who was indeed running it today) was closing everything up and setting the harness on the horse she had with her and preparing to pick up and move the wagon somewhere else in town, possibly even somewhere Fluttershy had already looked.

Fluttershy quickly approached her friend as she called out, loudly enough for Applejack to hear. "Wait, Applejack!" she called to get her friend's attention.

Applejack then lifted her head and looked over to her friend who was approaching rather swiftly. She then waved to Fluttershy and spoke up. "Howdy Fluttershy!" Applejack called back. "What's the matter?" she asked with slight confusion in her voice.

Fluttershy then slowed down and stopped in front of Applejack before responding hesitantly. "Oh, I just wanted some…apples?" she said in more of an asking tone than a telling one.

Applejack looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow before responding. "Are y'all alright sugar cube?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, umm no- I mean yes! Yes I'm fine." she said unconvincingly in a nervous voice.

"If anythin's wrong Fluttershy, y'all can tell me." Applejack said honestly.

Fluttershy wasn't sure why asking Applejack about Big Mac, was so difficult all of a sudden, but she knew she had to; she did walk around for twenty minutes looking for Applejack just to ask her a few questions. "Oh, nothing's wrong, I just…can I ask you some questions?" she asked abruptly, causing Applejack to don an even more confused face.

Applejack chose to ignore Fluttershy's odd behavior, as for Fluttershy it wasn't particularly odd. "Sure sugar cube, what do y'all want ta know?" Applejack asked curiously.

"I, um…I actually wanted to ask about Big Macintosh." she said hesitantly.

Applejack seemed somewhat surprised by Fluttershy's request, but decided to answer it anyway. "Big Mac? Ok, what do y'all want ta know?" Applejack asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm…what dances does he know?" she asked curiously.

Applejack chuckled lightly before responding. "Oh he knows all kinds of dances; he always loved dancin' or watchin' people dance; anyway, he knows quite a few." Applejack said honestly.

"Oh, ok." Fluttershy said simply in response.

"Why are y'all askin'?" Applejack asked curiously.

"O-oh, umm, no reason; I'm just curious." she said, once again, not convincing Applejack.

"…Anyway, y'all said ya wanted some apples right?" Applejack asked her friend; changing the subject.

"Oh, no, I'm fine." she said somewhat absent-mindedly.

Applejack then donned a look that seemed to say "Oh really?" before she responded. "Are ya sure? Ah've got some nice, tasty McIntosh if you want some?" Applejack said with a sly smirk on her face.

Fluttershy immediately turned a deep shade of red as her eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"Ah knew it! Y'all do have feelin's fer Big Mac!" Applejack said loudly in response to Fluttershy's reaction.

Fluttershy didn't know how to respond, she just sat there with a shocked look on her face as she blushed intensely.

Applejack then calmed down a bit before responding. "Sorry if Ah upset ya, Ah just wanted ta know if it was true, don't take it personally." Applejack said apologetically before continuing. "Ah think we should talk about this, sugar cube." she said as she softened her voice and features.

"…Ok." Fluttershy said hesitantly in response.

Applejack then packed up the rest of her family's stock and the pair began moving to a new location in town. The two talked as they walked.

"So, Fluttershy; it seems y'all have takin' a likin' ta my brother…well Ah can tell ya; yer certainly not the first. It seems like at least one a week some girl comes up ta me an' asks me ta introduce her ta Big Mac; I always tell 'em the same thing." Applejack said as she waited for Fluttershy's imminent response.

"What do you tell them?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Ah tell 'em that he ain't lookin' fer a relationship right now." Applejack said simply in response.

"Is that true?" Fluttershy asked with a curious, yet eager looking expression on her face.

"That he ain't lookin' fer a relationship? Nah, he's told me that before, but Ah know better. Ah just don't want lady callers at the farm everyday buggin' him an' interupptin' his work. Ah know that sounds somewhat selfish; but trust me, he don't want girls buggin' him when he's workin'." Applejack said as she kept her eyes facing forward.

"…Do you tell him about all the women that ask for him?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Not most of the time; he's asked me not to, because he doesn't want it getting in the way of work." Applejack said simply.

"Oh." was all Fluttershy said as she seemed to lose heart.

Applejack noticed her change in attitude and looked over to her friend before speaking up. "Fluttershy, don't be like that; y'all ain't like all the other girls an' Big Mac knows that…an' even though Ah'm not so sure about how Ah feel about all of this…Ah know that you have a better chance with him than anyone right now…and if y'all really think that he's the one fer ya…Ah'm here ta support y'all." Applejack said in a somewhat heartfelt and thoughtful way.

Fluttershy seemed moved by Applejack's words and took to heart what she said before responding. "Thank you Applejack, that really means a lot to me…but…I'm not sure how I feel about Big Mac yet…all of this has just happened so quickly and I've been introduced to feelings and thoughts that I hadn't previously experienced…I think it's going to be a little while before I'm able to say for certain how I feel about all of this." she said honestly as she opened up to her close friend.

"Don't worry about it right now; if ya wait awhile, y'all will know what yer feelin'." Applejack said as she offered her advice.

"I'll keep that in mind…thank you Applejack." she said in genuine appreciation.

"No problem sugar cube." Applejack said simply in response.

Fluttershy didn't respond.

"Is there anythin' y'all want ta ask about Big Mac?" Applejack ask curiously.

"…Has he ever had a girlfriend?" she asked hesitantly.

Applejack chuckled for a few seconds before responding. "Ya know, Ah have no idea! There was a time that Granny an' I thought him an' Cheerilee were datin', but he always denied it an' said that they were jus' friends. Whether he lied or not, Ah don't know, but Ah doubt it." Applejack said honestly.

"Miss. Cheerilee? Apple bloom's teacher?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Eeyup." Applejack said simply in response, imitating Big Mac.

Fluttershy laughed slightly at Applejack's impersonation of Big Mac.

"Y'all really do like him don't ya?" Applejack asked suddenly.

"…I do…even after just a day, it feels like I've known him forever and I just didn't know it." Fluttershy said honestly, as she avoided eye contact with Applejack.

Applejack then began smiling widely as she looked at her friend. "Ya know…when Ah first found out about my brother an' y'all bein' together, Ah really wasn't happy about it…but now that Ah think about it an' Ah see how yer actin'…Ah actually like this." Applejack said suddenly; catching Fluttershy off guard.

Fluttershy was left speechless as she tried to search for words.

"Y'all don't need ta say anythin', Ah know y'all ain't sure about it yet." she said and continued. "But Ah can see that y'all definitely have feelin's fer 'im." Applejack said with finality.

"That's exactly what Rarity said!" Fluttershy said in response.

"Me an' Rarity agreein' on somethin'? It's definitely gotta be true now!" Applejack said enthusiastically.

"She wouldn't agree with how you worded that sentence just now." Fluttershy said, ignoring Applejack's conclusion.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know me an' Rarity are jus' about as different as it gets. No need to go an' point it out." Applejack said as she shrugged slightly.

"Anyway…I have to go and restock on some animal care products." Fluttershy said suddenly asshe prepared to depart.

"Alright, Ah won't keep ya." Applejack said simply.

"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" Fluttershy said with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe; I guees Ah'll see y'all soon sugar cube." Applejack said as she bid her friend farewell.

"Hopefully." Fluttershy said as she moved closer and gave Applejack a quick hug. "Goodbye." she said as she began walking off.

Applejack simply waved to Fluttershy as the two parted ways.

**A/N: I said what I wanted to at the beginning (for once) so not much to say here. The next chapter SHOULD be up in a much more reasonable and timely manner.**

**Also. Shout out to "DRWolf001" on YouTube. He's the only MLP analyst I watch and his theory's, speculations, observations and head cannons influence and reflect a lot of how I think about the show (other than the Mane six's ages, but to each his own).**

**Anyway. That's all, rest easy guys and gals.**

**Thanks again.**


	11. What's goin' on?

**A/N: I'm trying something a little different for this chapter, so if anything throws you off just wait 'til the end. If it's not immediately clear what's going on, it'll make sense at/near the end.**

**Anyway, on with it.**

**CHAPTER 11. June 9****th****/02/3:03 AM/1****st**** person (Big Mac's POV).**

I walked into the lit up building in front of me. Once inside, it became apparent that this was a social gathering of sorts, something along the lines of a ball or gala, but I couldn't really tell the difference at the moment.

Then I looked down. Apparently, I was dressed head to toe in a formal suit; not a tuxedo but it was very nice and had a streamlined and valuable look to it. It was a very dark and dull blue; it almost looked like a dark grey but it was ever so slightly tinted blue. I was also wearing a vibrant dark red tie that was tautly wrapped around my neck that had a sliced green apple embroidered on the front.

Looking down at my feet I immediately saw something that I never thought I'd wear again. "Are those…tap dancin' shoes!?" I thought to myself in shock as I examined the shoes closely; I lifted one of my feet and looked at the bottom and there they were; metal heal and toe taps adorned on my shoe. "Where did I get these? Better yet, where did I get any of this outfit!? And why am I here, at some sort of special event? I can't remember the last time I went to something' like this." I thought in confusion to myself.

Then I saw her. Possibly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was wearing a sleek, light green, off the shoulder dress, with a pale blue butterfly embroidered on her chest and flowing, vibrant green fabric emerging from it and wrapping around her upper arms. There were also (what looked like) flowers sewn to the bottom of her dress; she was also wearing long green gloves that went up to about her elbows; it also had what looked like vines wrapped around her arms right above the end her gloves. And finally, there was pale blue fabric starting from her lower waist and wrapping around to the other side and looping down to her upper thighs on each side. The whole dress had a heavily floral based design; but it paled in comparison to the women wearing it.

I barely recognized her because of the way she was carrying herself; she was bolstering with confidence; something I wasn't sure I'd ever see from the demure woman known as Fluttershy. Her hair was slightly curled at the ends and was adorned with small flowers and a pale blue butterfly that matched the one on her dress.

But none of that really mattered to me. It was the confident and proud way she was carrying herself, that really made me enamored with her.

I was completely paralyzed. "What do I do? Should I approach her? Should I wait for her to notice me?" I was thinking to myself, when my thoughts were answered not 10 seconds later.

She noticed me and smiled widely, before excusing herself from her current conversation and heading towards me.

"What do I do!? Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? I'm never nervous!...Just keep a straight face…It's just Fluttershy…Something about that sounded rude. Ok she's almost here! Just stay calm and act normal." I thought to myself sporadically.

"Big Mac!" she said cheerfully with a huge smile on her face as she suddenly hugged me tightly.

I hesitantly hugged her back after a few seconds.

"I was wondering when you'd get here!" she said happily; still donning a cheerful attitude.

"I wasn't." I thought quickly to myself before responding. "Well Ah'm here now." I said simply; trying to seem as if I knew what was going on. "…Y'all look beautiful Fluttershy." I said suddenly, surprising myself with my blunt honesty.

She laughed uncharacteristically loud and responded. "Why thank you sir. You don't look too bad yourself!" she said half-jokingly, after giving me a once over.

I was shocked to hear her say that; 1. She (basically) called me handsome and 2. She was acting in a way I had never seen her act and never thought I would see her act. "Oh, well thank ya kindly." I said simply, not knowing what else to say.

"Thank ya kindly!? Come on Big Mac, I thought you were done with the formalities after we started dating!" she said in response. Catching me completely off guard; so much so, that I failed to keep my composure.

"What?" I said in response with a shocked look on my face.

"What do you mean 'What?' I'm just sayin' you shouldn't have to thank your girlfriend for calling you attractive." she said still leaving me with a completely foreign feeling.

"…When did we start datin'?" I asked in curiosity, knowing I'd get a confused response.

"We started dating months ago, you big idiot!" she said jokingly as she hit my shoulder. "Are you alright? You're starting to worry me." she then asked in concern.

"Ah'm fine…Ah think….Ah'm jus' forgetful Ah guess." I said in response.

"Since when!? You hardly forget anything!" she asked somewhat angrily; not buying my lie.

"Ah don't know what's wrong with me…can y'all give me a few minutes ta think." I said, not knowing what to think or say.

She then looked down at the floor as she donned a somewhat distressed look and responded. "…Ok…I'll be with Rarity while you collect yourself." she said in a seemingly understanding tone.

"Thank ya sugar cube…Ah don't know what Ah'd do if Ah didn't have y'all with me." I said, trying to make it so she wouldn't be too upset with me.

She then smiled softly at me and swiftly closed the distance between us; wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me down into a kiss. I stood there, completely paralyzed for a number of seconds as I tried processing what was happening; but then, by some sort of instinct, I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her back as I kissed her back softly.

After a few more seconds, her arms fell down to my lower back as she relaxed; pulling her face away from mine and silently resting her head on my chest. She then said something in a voice hardly above a whisper.

"I love you Big Macintosh." she said as she gripped me tighter and rubbed her head on my chest. Something about either what she just said, or what she just did, rent my heart to pieces.

"Ah love you too Fluttershy." I said without hesitation, in a very subtle, but sorrowful tone as a held her tightly, as if this was the last time I'd get to do so.

After a few more moments she then pulled away from me and smiled sincerely at me. "That's all I needed to hear you say for me to know that everything's ok." she said in a neutral tone as she looked at me with her beautiful teal eyes that were glistening as if they were on the edge of shedding tears.

I didn't know how to respond, so I just uttered my usual response for everything.

"Eeyup." I said simply.

Then I woke up.

I sat up and looked around my room. It was a simple room for a simple man; nothing very special about it.

I then put my face in my hands and tried rubbing the confusion out of it. Needless to say, it didn't work.

So I sluggishly got out of bed and made my way downstairs for a drink.

Once in the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of hard cider. I felt that the time called for it.

I then walked out to the front porch and sat down in my usual spot, on one of the rocking chairs.

I took a long gulp of my cider and began trying to make sense of the dream I just had. "Was I just acting in the moment? Or was there something...more...I don't know and I'm not sure I'll be able to figure this out...after all, it was just a dream and dreams can be way crazier and make much less sense than that one." I thought to myself as I tried figuring out just what the dream meant.

I took another gulp of cider before continuing my thoughts. "...Maybe it was just another dream that didn't make a lick of sense...but...in a way, it did make sense and it felt like I was in control of my actions for the most part; heck I could even think freely...I think I'm just gonna have to take it with a grain of salt; sure it was just a dream, but something about it just felt so real and perhaps it's for the better if I don't close my mind to it just because it's a dream." I thought to myself as I ran my free hand through my hair and stared at my reflection in my drink.

"...Best not to dwell on things." I said aloud to myself and finished off the remainder of my cider.

I then stood up and headed back inside. "Perhaps this'll solve itself on it's own. I just gotta be patient." I thought to myself as I walked into the kitchen and quickly washed out the glass I used and put it away.

I then headed back upstairs and slumped back down onto my bed; quickly getting comfortable.

I then mumbled something to myself; something that I wasn't expecting at all.

"Fluttershy."

**A/N: Hey guys! I have good news! I was fired from my job (5/5/2014). After only working 21 and a half hours! So now I can finally get back to the important stuff!**

…**Ok, on a more serious note; I really wasn't expecting to get fired, but there's nothing I can do about it now other than move on and learn from my failure. But yes, I do indeed have much more time and energy for writing now! (Which is good!).**

**Anyway, enough about my life and more about the story.**

**I want to know how I handled this chapter as it was way outside my normal box.**

**I was also considering making it clear that Big Mac's dream was a loose vision. But I'll leave that up to you to decide. Maybe it is a vision, maybe it's just a dream; who knows, certainly not me; I'm just the writer and creator of this story.**

**Also, Fluttershy's dress was directly based off the one she wore to the Grand galloping gala; so if my description of it left out any information or I described it poorly; you can just think of the one she wore to the gala.**

**And, lastly. It may have come off as confusing that Big Macintosh was generally thinking without an accent, now there were some exceptions I made to his thinking accent; but the main reason for him not thinking in an accent is because I highly doubt people actually think in an accented voice, I personally don't have an accent, so I can't say for certain if this is generally true…I used the word accent way too much in that sentence.**

**Anyway.**

**Thanks again.**


	12. Lunch date

**A/N: Hey guys, nice ta see you, how was your week? Good? I hope so, because you are just so darn cute when you're happy…**

**Ok, anyway, I'm so sorry about that, but I don't care, let's just get on with it!**

**CHAPTER 12. June 10****th****/02/2:26 PM/3****rd**** person.**

Big Macintosh was on his way to Fluttershy's house to pick her up for their meeting. While on the way, he was getting all of his thoughts together; thankfully, yesterday was very uneventful, so he had plenty of time to think about things then.

"What am Ah gonna say ta her? 'Hey, Ah had a dream about us datin' yesterday night, ain't that fascinatin'? Hey, maybe we should start datin'!' No, Ah don't think that'd be a very good topic," Big Mac said to himself as he tried thinking of something to say. "Why's this, of all things a challenge now? Jus' talkin' ta Fluttershy? I can already tell that today is gonna be…interestin'." he said to himself once again.

He was then forced to shut himself up as he walked up to Fluttershy's door; after a few moments of hesitation, he knocked on the door a few times and waited for a response. After about roughly a minute, the door opened to reveal Big Mac's beautiful dance partner. She was wearing a simple white dress, it looked as if it was designed more for practicality and comfort than fashion because of its lack of almost any details. The dress was a bit shorter than the one Big Mac had previously seen her in, this one came up to a little bit less than midway between her upper thighs and her knees.

"Hello Big Mac." Fluttershy said as she greeted him.

"Howdy Fluttershy." Big Mac greeted in response.

The two stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before both of them spoke up, cutting in to each other's sentence.

"Sorry." the pair said in unison.

"Y'all go." Big Mac said quickly right after.

"I was just going to ask how you've been." Fluttershy said in response.

"Ah've been good, how've y'all been?" he asked in response.

"I've been well." she said simply, as she shuffled her feet awkwardly.

"That's good." he said simply as he looked around at whatever he could.

The two sat in another awkward silence for a few moments before Angel started pushing on Fluttershy's leg; catching her attention in the process.

"What are you doing Angel?" Fluttershy asked the small white rabbit.

He made a few gestures in response.

"Oh, you want me to leave?" she asked the bunny for confirmation.

He simply crossed his "arms" and nodded in response.

"Oh, ok, it is about time to go anyway," she said. "Are you ready to go?" she asked the large farmer.

"Eeyup." he said simply.

"Ok," she said simply in response before turning around to face Angel. "Behave and watch the house while I'm gone, ok?" she asked the small white rabbit.

He let out an inaudible sigh before hesitantly nodding his head.

"Thank you Angel." she said to the verm-I mean rodent.

He simply batted his paw in response and hopped away.

She then closed the door, locked it and turned back around to face Big Mac. "Ready when you are." she said simply with a cute smile spread across her face.

He smiled and nodded in return.

Then the two set out toward their destination.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Big Mac spoke up. "Y'all wanna stop an' get somethin' ta eat before we go ta the farm?" he asked curiously.

"Umm, sure, that sounds nice." she said in response.

"Alright, where do y'all wanna go?" he asked.

"Wherever we go is fine with me." she said simply.

"Same here sugar cube." he said simply, before his eyes widened in shock after realizing what he just called her.

She was slightly surprised by what he just said, but instead of questioning it, she simply smiled. "Sugar cube huh?" she said with a raised eyebrow and a playful smile on her face.

"Sorry, Ah didn't mean ta let that slip out." he said simply as he avoided eye contact.

She laughed lightly before responding. "Don't apologize, especially for something you shouldn't be apologizing for." She said in response, reminding Big Mac of something he had said a few days ago.

"Thank ya an' Ah'll make sure it doesn't happen again." he said somewhat apologetically.

She gave him a somewhat confused look before responding. "I don't see the problem, Applejack calls me sugar cube all the time." she said simply.

"Applejack calls practically everyone sugar cube." he said in response.

"That's true…but I still don't see the problem with you calling me sugar cube." she said as she shrugged slightly.

"The only person Ah ever call sugar cube is Apple Bloom, so callin' y'all sugar cube would only make sense if we were…never mind." he said hesitantly.

"Never mind what?" she asked curiously.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." he said simply.

"I asked because I want to know…please tell me." she said as she donned a pitiful but adorable look on her face.

"That look don't work on me anymore, Apple Bloom an' her friends have tried it on me too many times." he said simply in response.

"…Fine," she said and let out a short sigh. "But will you tell me anyway? I really do want to know." she said still donning an almost pleading face.

After a few moments of consideration, he decided he might as well tell her, picking up where he left off before. "Callin' y'all sugar cube would only make sense if we were...together." he said plainly as he avoided eye contact with her.

She started blushing slightly before responding. "D-don't worry about it, it was a simple mistake." she said simply in response.

He hesitated a few seconds before responding. "Eeyup..." he said plainly.

After that last exchange of words, the pair stayed quiet for a number of minutes as they walked through the town that they were both so familiar with. They eventually settled on just going to a simple café that Fluttershy was familiar with.

Upon arrival, Big Macintosh held open the door for Fluttershy and a couple who was exiting. He and Fluttershy then waited in line, made their orders and took a seat next to a window.

"So, how's your day been?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's been good so far," he said simply. "How's yours been?" he asked.

"A little busy, but not bad." she said in response.

"Well, a little work never hurt anyone, right?" he said with a raised eyebrow, in anticipation of her response.

"Not in my case, but I wouldn't agree when it comes to yours." she said in response.

"What? y'all mean farmin'?" he asked with a somewhat confused look on his face.

"Yes, I can't imagine that you don't get hurt often." she said as she donned a very slightly concerned expression.

"Well, just a few scrapes an' bruises mostly; rarely do Ah get banged up enough ta make me stop workin'." he said as he shrugged, as if to say "what're ya gonna do?".

"That's still getting hurt and don't deny it." she said as she furrowed her brow slightly for emphasis.

"Ok, Ah won't deny it," he said as he reared back and widened his eyes in false shock. "But, Ah usually get hurt 'cause Ah'm not careful enough, not because of the work." he said, making a decent point in his eyes.

Fluttershy was about to speak, but she silenced herself when she heard a man's voice call out "Order 42."

"That's our order," Big Mac said simply in observation. "Ah'll go get it." he said as he left his seat and headed for the front counter.

Fluttershy simply nodded in response.

Big Mac then arrived at the counter with his receipt to confirm that this was his order.

"Order 42?" the man asked.

Big Mac handed him the receipt for confirmation and simply said "Eeyup."

After giving the receipt a quick once over, the man handed the receipt back and then handed Big Mac the 2 plates of food. "Your drinks will be brought to your table momentarily." The man said before Big Mac departed.

"Thank ya kindly." Big Mac said in gratitude before walking away with the food. Once he arrived at the table, he placed Fluttershy's plate in front of her and sat down at his seat.

"Thank you." Fluttershy said gratefully.

"Eeyup." Big Mac said simply in response.

They then began eating shortly after their drinks arrived. A few minutes later, Big Mac spoke up. "Ah've been meanin' ta ask ya somethin'." he said; waiting for her response.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"How did y'all get into takin' care of animals fer a livin'?" he asked curiously.

"Well, where I lived before I moved here, didn't have any animals and when I got here I instantly fell in love with them; after that, everything else just kinda happened," she said, obviously trying to keep a long story short. "Can I ask you about something?" she asked suddenly.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response.

"How long have you had Winona?" she asked curiously.

He gave her a somewhat confused look, he wasn't expecting her to ask anything like that. "We've had her since she was just a pup an' she's getting' on eleven years now." he said as he downcast his gaze for a few moments.

Fluttershy hesitated on her response. "She's in great condition, I wouldn't be surprised if she lived to be eighteen or even older." she said as she tried to reassure him.

"Ah don't doubt it either…but when she finally does go, it ain't gonna be easy for us…she's been around since Apple Bloom was in diapers." he said as he tried not thinking about it.

"I'm sorry I brought it up." she said apologetically.

"It ain't yer fault, it was an innocent question." he said in response.

Fluttershy hesitated in her response. "How come you never seem to accept apologies?" she asked curiously.

He smirked briefly before replying. "Because y'all haven't wronged me." he said simply.

"But what about-" she was saying before Big Mac cut in.

"Nope, yer jus' imaginin' it." he said as he smiled childishly.

She looked at him with a surprised expression before responding. "Oh, ok fine! Be that way!" she said in mock anger as she crossed her arms and began pouting, causing Big Mac to smile widely.

"Fine! Ah will!" he said as he jerked his head to the side and began false pouting as well.

The two then looked at each other and started laughing.

Big Mac then donned a more serious face and spoke up. "Fluttershy…there's somethin' Ah want ta say, but Ah'm not sure how ta say it." he said, his body language implying that he was stressed.

"What is it?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's umm…Ah was jus' wonderin'…would y'all like ta do this again sometime?" he asked curiously. "Ah know Ah'm jus' a simple farmer an'-" he was saying before getting cut off.

"I'd love to." she said with a genuine smile on her face.

"Really?" he asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Yes, I'd enjoy doing this with you again." she said simply.

He seemed shocked or surprised, but he knew he had to keep his cool. "So, what day an' time is good fer y'all?" he asked curiously.

"Why not tomorrow at this time?" she suggested curiously.

"Ah don't see a problem with that." he said in response.

"Then it's a date." Fluttershy said with a bit of finality.

"Eeyup." he said in agreement.

The two then finished their food and left for Sweet Apple Acres to start their training.

**A/N: Hello again my readers. First off, I want to give a grateful shout out to "RageLokiCat" he recently re-read chapters 1-11 of this story and gave me helpful advice and tips on what to do and what not to do. I strongly suggest you check him out, I personally haven't read his story yet, but I have no doubt that it is a story of good quality (most likely better quality than this one). Anyway, I'm grateful for the help.**

**Also, someone recently came to me and very humbly asked me to write a story about their character for them, so I'm somewhat working on that as a side project, I'll probably start official work on that story after I'm finished with this one.**

**And, finally. I believe this story is coming to an end soon, I'm not sure how much longer it's going to go, but I'm quite certain that it's nearing it's end. Someday (probably a while from now) I plan on making a sequel that takes place years after the end of this story. I'm not sure if that's necessarily a good idea, but I have plenty of time to think about it before it's official.**

**I suppose that's it, thanks again everyone and feel free to PM me or whatever it is you wish to do.**

**And, if there's any errors (which there most likely is) don't hesitate to point it out, even if the error is the majority of the chapter.**


	13. Two left feet

**A/N: Hey Guys! Been awhile eh? I'm not gonna say "oh I had a lot of things happen, I couldn't get it done!" albeit a whole lot of things did indeed happen, it was pure laziness and disinterest in writing this chapter that truly made it take so long. I'm gonna say sorry and move on, consider that long wait, my vacation. The next update will almost certainly be sooner, I really don't want you guys to wait over a month for this stuff to get updated. Anyway, I'll leave the rest for the end.**

**[VERY IMPORTANT!] I will be changing my penname to "Absolom" (unless that name is taken…we'll see). This is because one of my OC's names is indeed Ignacia Flame and this of course leads to confusion, so I will be changing my name in about a week or so, maybe less.**

**Also, I haven't proofread any of this, I'm rushing to get this done because I'm going to camp for 4-5 days in the morning. And it's currently 1:00 AM on the dot where I live (GA). Anyway, on with it.**

**Enjoy (hopefully)**

**CHAPTER 13 June 10****th****/02/3:04 PM/3****rd**** person.**

After a few minutes of walking, the pair arrived at the farm and decided to begin training with minimal hesitation.

"Let's jus' start off with a simple waltz," he said simply. "Alright?" he asked soon after.

"Ok…but can I ask something first?" she said with a downcast gaze as she shuffled her feet awkwardly.

"Eeyup." he said simply in response.

"Are we…alone?" she asked curiously.

He cocked his head to the side slightly before responding. "Ah'm pretty sure Applejack an' Apple Bloom are both out an' Granny's probably sleepin' somewhere…so we probably ain't gonna be interrupted, if that's what y'all want ta know," he said as he gave her an unsure look. "Do y'all want me ta check an' make sure?" he asked curiously with a friendly smile on his face, knowing quite well what her answer would be.

"Yes please…if it's not any trouble." she said as she blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Alright; Ah'll be right back." he said simply before heading to the stairs to check the second floor.

"…Thank you." she said hesitantly.

"No problem." he said plainly and headed up the stairs.

Big Mac then checked all the rooms upstairs for any of his family members. And like he predicted, his sisters were nowhere to be seen and his grandmother was fast asleep in the middle of crocheting, on a large chair in the guest bedroom.

After his quick check upstairs, he went back downstairs and told Fluttershy about his findings.

"No-one's here other than us an' Granny; but she ain't wakin' up anytime soon." he informed honestly.

"Sorry I made you do that…I just don't want what happened last time to happen again." she said as she blushed and avoided making eye contact.

"It really ain't a problem Fluttershy; Ah understand it was an awkward situation an' Ah don't want it ta happen again either." he said honestly.

Something about what he said seemed to upset her somewhat. "Oh…ok." she said as she downcast her gaze.

Big Mac instantly noticed the change and decided to try and figure out what he did wrong. "What's wrong? Did Ah say somethin' Ah shouldn't've?" he asked with an obviously confused undertone.

"No, you didn't say anything wrong." she said in an unconvincing tone.

"Are y'all su-" he was saying before she cut him off.

"I said you didn't say anything wrong! Now will you please stop asking?" she said in a somewhat frustrated tone.

He reared back in moderate surprise. "Fair enough, sorry Ah bugged ya." he said apologetically.

"No…I'm sorry…I guess I'm just a little bit stressed out." she said hesitantly as her face look like one of deep thought.

"We can do this some other time if y'all want." he said.

"No, I can't just leave if I feel a little stressed, I have to follow through with this." she said in a defiant tone.

"Alright, if you're sure about this, Ah suppose we should get started." he said and waited for her response.

"I think that'd be best." she said in response. The two then walked into the center of the room.

Big Mac offered his hand to Fluttershy, who surprisingly took it with very little hesitation; she then surprised the large man even further by giving him a cheerful smile, while keeping full eye contact. He resisted the urge to blush and closed some distance between them; placing his free hand on her shoulder blade. In return she placed her free hand firmly on his shoulder.

"Y'all ready?" he asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." she said plainly in response as she nodded her head slightly.

The pair then began circling one another slowly; having a much smoother start than a few days ago. They kept their eye contact as they both smiled slightly. Both of them staying silent and speaking with their eyes and movement instead of words.

They continued circling the room silently until Big Macintosh spoke; effectively breaking the silence. "Do y'all wanna try twirlin'?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not sure if I can." she said, doubting her abilities.

"Don't worry, jus' try an' flow with my movements." he instructed.

"Ok…if it's that simply, I guess it can't hurt to try." she said with slight hesitation.

"It ain't hard, Ah'm sure y'all will pick up on it quickly." he said with complete confidence in her as he gave her a reassuring smile.

She began blushing very slightly before responding with a simple nod.

"Alright, Ah'm gonna let go of yer shoulder blade an' raise my other hand over yer head, all ya have ta do is twirl in the same direction as my hand an' then go back to yer previous position." he directed and waited for her response before attempting the twirl.

"Okay, I think I've got it." she said as she prepared for him to start the motion.

"Here we go." he said as he stepped back slightly, letting go of her shoulder blade with his right hand, while simultaneously lifting his other hand and beginning a counter-clockwise turn. Fluttershy began turning in the same direction as his hand and almost made a complete rotation, until her left foot got caught up on her right and she quickly fell onto Big Mac.

Though he was known for being a firm footed and solid man, he was unprepared for Fluttershy falling on him and was quickly surprised to find himself falling as well. The two quickly fell to the hardwood floor, Big Mac absorbing the entirety of the impact, leaving Fluttershy well protected. The two sat there for a few moments until Big Mac propped himself up with one arm and rubbed the back of his head with the other.

Fluttershy then noticed the close proximity of their faces and began blushing furiously, but found herself unable to move.

Big Mac then focused on the demure woman before speaking. "Anyone ever tell y'all, ya ain't as graceful as ya look?" he asked half-jokingly with a friendly smile on his face.

She didn't respond, she just continued starring into his green eyes, her own teal ones gaped wide open in surprise.

When she didn't respond, he became somewhat concerned. "Are y'all alright? Y'all ain't hurt are ya?" he asked with slight concern in his voice as he examined her face for any potential injuries.

She then blinked a few times quickly and shook her head slightly, before responding. "W-what?" she asked curiously with obvious confusion and surprise spread across her face.

"Ah asked if yer alright?" he repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yes I-I'm fine." she said in response, her face still a vibrant shade of red.

He took note of how close their faces were, quickly finding the reason behind her red cheeks. "Whenever y'all wanna get up is fine." he said jokingly, before continuing a few seconds later. "Unless...y'all wanna sit here on the floor." he said with a sly grin and cocked eyebrows.

She then blushed an even depper shade of red before responding. "O-oh! No, no, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention; I can get up now if you want…I mean! I'll get up now! Y-yeah, that's what I meant..haha." she said with nervous stuttering throughout.

Big Mac chuckled for a few moments before responding. "Ah'm only kiddin'! Ah jus' wanted ta see how ya'd respond." he said with a smile.

"Haha, yeah, that is funny." she said nervously in an unconvincing tone. "I-I'll just get up now." she said as she stood up awkwardly.

"Easy there, we don't want a repeat of what jus' happened." he said as he stood up.

"Haha…yeah." she said in response as she avoided eye contact with him.

"Ah suppose we should try again and Ah'll make sure ta keep yer two left feet in mind so Ah can catch ya if ya fall again." he said as he offered her his hand. She looked at it hesitantly and didn't reach out to grab it.

He was slightly surprised and gave her curious look before responding. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

She hesitated on her response, but eventually spoke up. "I…I don't want to look like a dolt again…I think we should maybe call this off…" she said as she donned a somewhat sad face and avoided his gaze.

He looked at her with a serious look as he continued holding his hand out. "Fluttershy…Ah was jus' kiddin' an' if Ah hurt yer feelin's…Ah'm sorry," he said apologetically. "But Ah would never think yer a dolt, if y'all don't wanna continue this…that's fine, Ah understand; but Ah want ya to know, that Ah ain't gonna judge ya, that ain't my job…Ah'm her ta teach ya, an' if y'all make a mistake, so what…trial an' error is probably the best way to learn how ta do somethin' right," he said sincerely, in a reassuring tone throughout. "So, what do ya say…y'all wanna try again?" he asked as he continued holding out his hand.

She looked at him with a blank expression and hesitantly clasped her hand against his. "Yes." she said simply in response as she donned a friendly smile.

"Alright! That's the spirit! Let's get this done." he said enthusiastically as the two then took their positions.

"Alright. Let's do this." she said in agreement.

The two then continued dancing for the better part of an hour, both silently grateful to be in the others company.

**A/N: Yeah there you have it, probably not worth the wait, but there it is. Please, if you could, visit my profile and cast your vote on the poll I have up "What type of story should my next story be?" Answer honestly and have a good day.**

**Also, I'm now part of the trio that writes OC battles, along with "me quazzy" and "Blaze Titanium" I wrote the most recent fight and I think I did a half decent job, perhaps you might want to check it out if that's your cup of tea. Anyway, good day to you.**


	14. He cares about you

**A/N: How's it goin' guys? I hope you're all doing well. Anyway, once again, I'm very sorry for a late update; the reason for this is because I had relatives visiting for the summer, and they were here for about 6 weeks. And as most of you could guess, that took a lot (A LOT I TELL YOU!) of time away from writing.**

**[HEY LOOK! MAYBE THIS IS IMPORTANT OR SOMETHING!] Anyway, I just want to put back out there, that I have a poll up on my profile concerning what my next story will be, and I need as many votes as possible on it, I'll be taking it down when this story is over, but if y'all can head to my profile for a brief minute and cast your vote on what you'd like to see [If you've never voted on a poll on here, just click on my name, and once you're on my profile, look at the top part of the page it will say "Poll: What type of story should my next story be? Vote now!" The "Vote now!" will be clickable (highlighted blue) just click there and it will send you to the voting options.] Thank you.**

**I guess I'll just get this chapter started, and sorry if it feels improvised, I didn't really go in with a detailed layout of this chapter before I started writing.**

**Also, this chapter may confuse a few people, (I somewhat doubt it, but it might) it takes place 2 weeks after the last chapter, so some things have changed.**

**CHAPTER 14 June 24th/02/7:04 PM/3rd person.**

"Are you serious!? Big Mac and I have only been training for a little over two weeks!" Fluttershy said with a shocked voice.

"Of course I'm serious! You and Big Macintosh would look fantastic dancing together at the 4th of July party!" Rarity said in a no-nonsense voice. "And besides, you're a quick learner Fluttershy, so I'm sure you'll have anything he's teaching you down pat by July," Rarity said with complete confidence in her friend.

"Even if I could do it, what makes you think I'd get on the dance floor!?" Fluttershy asked in a somewhat confused voice.

"Well, if Big Macintosh's training has worked at all, perhaps that will give you enough courage to dance at the party." Rarity said optimistically with a good point backing her up.

"…I feel like the training is working…but I don't really know yet and I don't really want to risk testing it at the party," Fluttershy said with much less optimism than her friend. "…Even if he was there to comfort me," she said quietly in a voice hardly over a whisper.

"Alright darling, I understand how you are when it comes to public gatherings; I won't keep pestering you about this," Rarity said with a slight shrug at the end. "But that doesn't mean I don't want you to do it," she continued.

Fluttershy hesitated before responding. "…I'll think about it…" she said as she trailed off.

"You will!?" Rarity asked with minor traces of shock in her voice.

"Yes…but we don't even know how Big Mac will feel about this," Fluttershy said, bringing up a valid problem before continuing. "And if he doesn't want to do it, I can't see myself wanting to do it either," Fluttershy said honestly as she looked down at her drink.

"Oh don't be like that darling, there will be plenty of well-bred gentlemen at this party, who I'm sure will be more than happy to share a dance with a beautiful woman like you." Rarity said as she tried naming alternatives to get Fluttershy to interact at the party. "Besides, I don't think Big Macintosh would want to get cleaned up to go to a social gathering like this one," Rarity said honestly. "But I guess we'll find out when you go and ask him, won't we darling?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow and suggestive smile.

"But-" Fluttershy was saying before Rarity cut in.

"No buts. I'm sure he'll do whatever we want him to do, as long as you ask it of him," Rarity said in a very optimistic and almost knowing tone.

"Rarity...I-" Fluttershy was saying until Rarity cut her off again.

"Yes darling, that is my name," Rarity said in a joking tone.

"Will you please stop interrupting me?" Fluttershy asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Rarity took a sip of her drink before responding. "Of course Fluttershy, your wish is my command." Rarity said half-jokingly as she bowed her head for a few seconds.

"…Rarity, can you please take this a little more seriously?" Fluttershy asked seriously.

"I apologize for my behavior, I'll take this more seriously now," Rarity said honestly as she waited for Fluttershy's response.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said simply before continuing. "But…I don't think I can ask him to dance with me at the party on such short notice; the fourth of July is only a little over a week away…it'd just be too imposing to ask such a thing," Fluttershy said as she looked back down into her drink.

"Which is why you must ask him now, while you still have time, there's no way he can say no at this point." Rarity said as she nodded her head slowly and then took another sip of her drink.

"…What makes you say that?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

Rarity responded with a simple "Hmm?" in a somewhat confused tone.

"You said there's no way he can say no at this point, what did you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Oh that, well, I'm sure he has significant feelings for you by now, so he would have to be insane to deny his feelings and say no. After all, emotions are stronger than any mental or physical desire." Rarity said, making a pretty decent point.

"…I don't know how he feels and it would be wrong to assume he likes me." Fluttershy said as she looked down into her drink with a glum look on her face.

"And it would be very wrong to assume that he doesn't have feelings for you," Rarity said, seemingly stumping Fluttershy.

The demure woman was out of comebacks, so she just let her friend continue.

"Fluttershy, you do realize you represent the element of kindness, right?" she asked curiously.

"…Yes," Fluttershy said hesitantly.

"I may not know Big Macintosh personally, but I know plenty about him from Applejack. And I know that he is a kind individual himself; and sometimes a simple similarity like that between two people, is plenty enough to cause one or both people to harbor feelings for the other." Rarity said thoughtfully.

Fluttershy looked like she was about to say something, but Rarity spoke up before she had a chance to say anything.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not done talking yet," Rarity said before continuing. "I talked to Big Macintosh a little while ago, and he told me he wanted you to be safe, that's why he's training you…he wants to protect you and keep you safe, that proves he cares about you; he's just afraid he'll make a mistake, so he's not willing to take a risk," Rarity said in a convincing tone.

Fluttershy seemed shocked by the revelation, she just stared with a confused look at the reflection in her drink. "…He…wants to protect me?" Fluttershy said in confusion to herself more than to Rarity.

"Yes," Rarity said plainly in response, giving Fluttershy time to collect herself.

"…I have to talk to him," Fluttershy said suddenly.

"That's obvious darling; but now is probably not a good time," Rarity said, making a good point.

"…You're probably right; I'll see if I can talk to him tomorrow," Fluttershy said with a new resolve.

"Now that's the Fluttershy I like to see, determined!" Rarity said with obvious enthusiasm.

The two then finished their tea and Rarity prepared to depart for home.

"Will you be alright?" Rarity asked curiously with slight concern.

"Yes, I think I just have to take it easy for now," Fluttershy said simply.

"I think that'd be best," Rarity said in agreement.

The two then got up and walked to Fluttershy's front door.

"We have to do this again very soon darling," Rarity said, waiting expectantly for Fluttershy's response.

"Yes, sometime tomorrow would be great," Fluttershy said in agreement.

"Sounds like a plan, I can't wait to hear about your talk with Big Macintosh," Rarity said with a wink after she finished talking.

Fluttershy ignored her friend's suggestive mannerisms and continued as normal. "I'm sure it won't be anything special, but I look forward to talking with you…anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" she said as she prepared to open the door for her friend.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for anything," Rarity said as she moved forward and hugged her friend.

Fluttershy hugged her friend back tightly. Once they finished, Fluttershy opened the door for Rarity and waited until she was outside before saying anything. "Bye Rarity, see you tomorrow," Fluttershy said honestly with a genuine smile on her face.

"Goodbye Fluttershy, good luck tomorrow," Rarity said with a smile that matched Fluttershy's.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said honestly.

"You're welcome darling." Rarity said as she gave a final wave goodbye and prepared to walk home.

Fluttershy waved back and watched as her friend departed for a few moments before retreating back into her cottage. She then let out a long sigh before speaking softly to herself. "…Tomorrow's going to be…interesting," she said to herself as she prepared for a very early bedtime.

**A/N: HELLO MY BELOVED READERS, YOU'RE SO FRICKEN' LOVELY TODAY! IS THAT A NEW HAIRCUT!? ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS, IMACELENT, ASTOUNDING! MUST I GO ON!?**

…**Anyway, there's not really anything to say that I didn't say up top. So just thank you so much for your patience and I'm absolutely joyous to have you guys. Thanks again and rest easy. The next update should come much sooner than this one, I sincerely hope so. But we'll see what my last year of school does to me. (FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!).**

**Oh and one last thing...30K WORDS! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**


	15. You two used to what?

**A/N: And, welcome back my dear readers, all I got to say right now, is wow, school is just the best ain't it? Anyway, enjoy reading and sorry for making you regular readers wait.**

**CHAPTER 15 June 25th/02/10:01 AM/3rd person.**

Fluttershy walked through town, on her way to Sweet Apple Acres; trying to ignore anyone looking at her, which she was actually doing quite well.

She was about halfway there when someone called out to her, causing her to stop. She turned around to be greeted by the familiar face of one of her closest friends, a woman by the name of Rainbow Dash

"Oh hi, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said simply, slightly surprised by the sudden encounter.

"Wow, you didn't jump when I called your name, that's different," Rainbow Dash said as she approached.

"Oh, I didn't even notice," Fluttershy said honestly.

"Yeah…anyway, what's up?" Dash asked with a curious look on her face.

"Umm, nothing really, I'm just walking."

"Are you getting some exercise or something?" Dash asked curiously.

"No, I'm going somewhere," Fluttershy said simply.

"That was my next guess…so where you goin'?" Dash asked as she walked alongside Fluttershy.

"I'm actually going to Sweet Apple Acres."

Rainbow Dash immediately stopped walking as she donned a surprised look. "No way!" Dash exclaimed.

Fluttershy jumped slightly before turning around to respond. "What!?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"That's where I'm going too!" Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically. "That's so awesome!...and kinda creepy at the same time; but there's no way AJ can refuse to hang out now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly.

Fluttershy blinked a few times before responding. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy said loudly as she put her hand on her chest.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I just got excited," Dash said honestly.

"It's fine, you just caught me off guard; if you were Pinkie Pie, I would've expected it."

"Yeah, that makes sense…anyway, what're you going to AJ's for? Is Winona sick?" Dash asked curiously.

"No, nothing like that, I just…umm, I have to…do something," Fluttershy said, not entirely stretching the truth.

"…I know that much, but what is that something?" Dash asked persistently.

"I'm…uhh going to ask someone, something," Fluttershy said, once again not elaborating.

"Who? AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No," Fluttershy responded simply.

"Granny Smith?" Dash asked again.

"No…" Fluttershy said, trailing off.

"…Apple Bloom?" Dash asked, not sure why she'd need to ask the young crusader anything.

"…No."

Rainbow Dash then looked confused as she put her hand to her chin and donned a pondering expression on her face. But after only a few moments of thinking, she adopted a look that said "Ah ha!" and then her mouth curved into a sly grin as she looked at Fluttershy.

"It's not what you th-" Fluttershy was saying before Dash spoke up.

"Mac! You're gonna ask Big Mac something all secretly and stuff!" Dash exclaimed excitedly.

"Will you please be quiet!?" Fluttershy asked as her eyes widened. "I've already seen that reaction enough for one lifetime!" she said with enough emphasis for Rainbow Dash to get the point.

"Ok, ok. But I can't get enough of this! You and Mac? I wouldn't have guessed that in like…ever!" Dash said, still at a volume that attracted minor amounts of attention.

"Shhhhhhhhh!" Fluttershy said as she cupped her hand over Dash's mouth.

Dash quickly pulled Fluttershy's hand away from her mouth and then began speaking. "Sorry!" Dash said in a loud whisper.

"I understand it's weird news…for some reason, but just try not to make a big deal out of it," Fluttershy said as she donned a stern, but also pleading look on her face.

"Alright, fine; it's just so sudden, I never would've guessed that you and Mac had anything to do with each other," Rainbow Dash said honestly.

"Well, now you know," Fluttershy said simply, before continuing a few moments later. "Why do you call him Mac? If you don't mind me asking."

Dash hesitated on her response.. "…Funny thing about that. You know how I hang out with Applejack a lot?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes," Fluttershy responded simply.

"Well, we usually hang out around the farm, because Applejack usually goes right back to work when we're done. Anyway, after I was done hanging out with Applejack, I eventually started, more or less bugging Big Mac while he was working afterwards, because I knew he wouldn't make me work like Applejack would. And after months of that, I guess I grew on him, because eventually we started dating for a little while. And that's when and why I started just calling him Mac," Rainbow Dash said, her words causing Fluttershy to don a surprised and shocked look.

"You and Big Mac dated!?" Fluttershy asked in a completely shocked voice.

"Yeah, but it wasn't for long. I moved too quickly for him and he moved too slowly for me, not to mention we really didn't have anything in common; so it was never going to work out."

"I guess that makes sense, I just never knew you and him ever dated," Fluttershy said honestly.

"Well, ya never asked. And me and Mac kinda agreed not to talk about it with anyone, so you're really the first to know," Dash replied.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you tell me," Fluttershy said apologetically.

Rainbow Dash just waved it off as if it was nothing. "It's no problem Fluttershy, it's in the past, and it really doesn't matter at this point."

"Oh…ok, well I'm sorry I brought it up anyway," Fluttershy said, still donning an apologetic tone.

"Did you?" Dash asked, more to herself than Fluttershy. "Hmmm…eh oh well, I don't really care."

"Well, alright…" Fluttershy said, not knowing how else to respond.

"Soooo, this thing with you and Mac, what's that about?" Dash asked curiously.

"It's nothing really, we just…do something…" Fluttershy said quietly as she trailed off.

"Fluttershy, you do realize you're making this sound WAY worse than I know it is."

Fluttershy didn't know exactly know what Dash was implying, but right before she responded, she silenced herself and began blushing. "It's not like that, I swear!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

Dash laughed a bit before replying. "Look who's making a scene now."

Fluttershy then looked around her to notice various sets of eyes fixed on her, which caused her to lower her gaze and begin blushing more heavily.

"Eh, don't worry about it, I know it's not like that," Dash said in a semi-comforting tone.

"That's good to know…but how do you know?" Fluttershy asked,

Rainbow Dash then gave Fluttershy a look that seemed to say quite blatantly "R u srs!?" before responding. "I don't even think I should dignify that with a response Fluttershy," Dash said semi-sarcastically as she broke eye contact.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-" Fluttershy was saying before Dash cut in.

"You're too nice to do something like that, and Mac is no different. Heck, I know better than most people how slow he takes things…" Dash said, trailing off.

Fluttershy hesitated on a response. "What…do you mean?" she asked.

"Never mind, just forget I said anything…" Dash said as she looked away from Fluttershy.

"Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I just hate being reminded of the mistakes I've made."

"What mistake?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"It's nothing, just stop talking about it, alright?" Dash asked.

"Ok, I understand. But we're friends, and if you ever have anything you want to talk about, or have any problems; you should tell me, I'll always be here to help you."

Dash let out a short sigh before responding. "I know Fluttershy, but this is something more suited for Rarity in all honesty…but, I really think I should face this on my own," Dash said, as she stared at the ground.

"Are you sure you'll be ok without any help?" Fluttershy asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes Fluttershy, don't worry about me. I've definitely faced tougher alone."

"Well, alright, if you're sure."

"Yeah, I am," Dash said with finality.

Sweet Apple Acres was just coming into sight. Causing Fluttershy to smile slightly for unknown reasons.

Rainbow Dash noticed Fluttershy smiling and cocked a slight grin without Fluttershy noticing.

The pair continued walking the rest of the way in silence, (a rather awkward silence).

Once they arrived at the front door, Rainbow Dash walked up and gave the door an ample amount of hard raps before speaking. "Yo, someone answer the door!" she called.

After thirty seconds or so, Granny Smith answered the door. She gave the two women a quick once over before resting her eyes on Dash, "Ah thought Big Mac broke up with y'all," she said in a flat tone.

"You say that every time I come over, give it a rest already Granny," Dash said half-jokingly. "Now let me in."

"Hmmm, well, y'all did bring the future mother of my great grands, so Ah guess ya get a free pass this time," Granny Smith said as she stepped aside slightly, making enough room for the two women to enter.

Fluttershy began blushing after hearing what Granny Smith said, but still followed Rainbow Dash into the house.

Once she was passing Granny Smith, the elderly woman spoke up. "Don't be bashful; be proud in what you've got."

Fluttershy wasn't sure how to respond, but she gave a quick "Thank you," in response anyway.

After that short interaction, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy continued walking; heading for the back door as they both knew that's where they would find the older Apple siblings.

After opening the back door and heading out into the back yard, Rainbow Dash spoke up. "I guess this is where we split up."

"I suppose it is, at least for a little while," Fluttershy responded simply.

"Welp, see ya later then, and good luck with Big Mac," Dash said with a sly smirk and suggestive eyebrows to emphasize her point.

"I told you it's not like that," Fluttershy responded.

Rainbow Dash was already walking away as Fluttershy said her last response. "Uh-huh, I heard ya," Dash said as she raised her hand to say goodbye.

Fluttershy was left on her own now, leaving her to do what she came for in the first place.

She was about to head off in a random direction, but was stopped when she heard Rainbow Dash call back. "Try looking in the east orchard, he's probably over there!"

Fluttershy didn't respond, as she knew that Rainbow Dash most likely wouldn't hear her.

"Ok, east orchard…I can do this," Fluttershy said to herself in a nervous voice.

She then began walking toward her destination, in hopes of finding Big Macintosh.

**A/N: Kind of a filler chapter, but there's only a few chapters left, so I figured I'd try and make this last. Anyway, don't really expect the next update to be soon, but I will try to be swift.**

**Thanks for reading, see ya later guys, and rest easy.**

**(9/2/2015: Update coming soon!)**


	16. It's you

**A/N: Yo, kiddies! What's up!? Listen up! I'm sorry for everyone I've left waiting for (geez, I dunno) like a year or something!? GEEZ! Man, I'm a skrub, and sorry you guys. So how's this: I'm going to continue this story and finish it, hopefully soon as well. I'll make time with college and stuff and finish what I started. How's that sound? Ok. And really guys, I haven't been entirely absent, I've come on and checked how everything has been going. I can't stress this enough: if you want my attention, leave a review or PM me, it WILL get me into action and I enjoy talking to y'all or reading your reviews.**

**Earlier this year I lost my USB containing all my writings, upwards of 300-400k of words lost and on top of that, I lost a very important relationship I had with my best friend and woman I love...I'm sorry that all this has gotten in the way of my writings, the pain and sorrow that came with it has been tough, but...I have a duty to continue this and do right by you guys, I don't want to fail y'all like I did her.**

**So hey, let's just continue this, shall we? (Keep in mind, I'm REALLY rusty, I'll try and revise/edit this chapter thoroughly after I'm done with it)**

****CHAPTER 16 June 25th/02/10:17 AM/3rd person.****

As she walked toward the east orchard her mind was going crazy and her heart was thumping at an elevated rate as she looked down at the ground in front of her. She opened her mouth and began speaking in a barely audible voice. "Is what I'm doing ok? Is it too soon to ask something like this? Why do I even want to dance at the party?" she asked herself as all these questions bogged her mind.

After saying these things, she noticed it get slightly darker as shade enveloped her; picking her gaze up she saw that she made it to the east orchard, the trees giving her the shade. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the trees all around until the shade hit her.

Stopping momentarily, she looked down at her hand and took note of it shaking. Her eyes began watering slightly as she spoke. "Why am I doing this?" she asked herself. Closing her eyes she could feel her whole body shaking; she was more than just nervous or anxious, she was scared.

"Why would he want to dance with me?" she asked herself as tears began slowly rolling down her cheeks. "Why would he choose me out of everyone?" she asked herself as her tears steamed more swiftly from her eyes.

"Fluttershy?"

Her eyes darting open at hearing her name, lifting her head up and turning it to the direction the voice came from, she saw Big Macintosh walking toward her, roughly 20 feet away on her right, she barely made out a perplexed and concerned look on his face with her currently blurry vision.

"What's wrong, Fluttershy? Why are ya cryin'?" he asked as he approached.

Without putting a good amount of thought into it, Fluttershy turned and tried to run, not wanting him to see her like she was.

He outstretched his arm to signal her to stop. "Wait! What's wrong?" he called as he picked up his pace.

Only making it a few steps, Fluttershy lost her footing because of her frantic state.

She then closed her eyes and prepared for impact, knowing that she was going to fall and hit the ground in moment.

Keeping her eyes clenched, she waited for gravity to take effect, but after a few moments passed, she noticed that she was still mostly upright and not in any pain; opening her eyes slowly she found herself in Big Mac's arms, again.

"You alright?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, I didn't hit the ground."

"Ah wasn't askin' 'bout that," he responded swiftly, continuing a moment later. "Why are y'all cryin' and tryin' ta run from me?" he asked.

"I...will you put me down now?" she asked in a somewhat impatient tone.

"Only if y'all don't dart off like a mad fox again," he responded, before continuing. "Ah don't mean ta sound selfish, but do ya have any idea what Granny an' Applejack would think or do if they saw y'all cryin' and runnin' away from me?" he asked, bringing up a good point.

Fluttershy didn't respond, her mind was racing too fast to process everything that just happened in the last minute.

"I dunno if y'all want me ta die today, but that's what woulda happened if Ah let ya escape," he said, continuing his sentence.

"I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking clearly, will you put me down now?" she asked.

"Ya gonna run?" he asked in response.

"No...I promise."

"Alright," he responded simply as he placed back onto the ground gently, continuing a moment later. "How many times do Ah gotta catch y'all?" he asked curiously.

She turned around slowly to face him, her still watery eyes and now damp cheeks adorning her face as she looked up at him. "As many times as it takes until I stop falling, I guess," she responded, her emotions being somewhat of an enigma to Big Mac.

He gave her a serious gaze for a few moments, taking in what her face looked like; smiling genuinely down at her after examining her face. "Ah dunno if we can fix those two left feet y'all got, without some serious surgery," he said jokingly.

She smiled for a brief moment before looking back down to the ground.

He once again donned a serious gaze, knowing more or less what he had to do.

Stepping forward, he put his arms around her small frame and pulled her into a hug and began stroking his right hand over the back of her head. Silence falling over both of them.

Fluttershy froze and stood deathly still for a few moments, but within a few moments, she melted into the hug as if was natural and wrapped her arms around him tightly as she began shaking again, burrowing her face into his chest and finding herself sobbing.

He didn't speak, he just let her cry and continued holding her.

For the next couple minutes they just stood in the east orchard and continued holding onto each other, the only sounds being Fluttershy's sobs. After a little more time had passed, Fluttershy's shutters began subsiding, becoming more subtle. Pulling her mouth away from him but leaving her eyes planted, she spoke in a quivering voice. "I'm sorry."

He looked down at her, speaking moments later. "For what?" he asked.

"For everything, I'm sorry for all of it."

He donned a confused look for a few moments before responding, not being able to recall anything she could be sorry for; he hadn't faced anything quite like this situation before, but he somehow knew how to respond. "You don't have anythin' ta be sorry for, because Ah've already forgiven ya fer anythin' you've done."

After hearing this, she burrowed her face back into his chest and let out a muffled "Thank you."

After a few more minutes of general silence passed, Fluttershy pulled away from Big Mac and looked up at his face, speaking after a few moments of examining him. "Why are you so kind?" she asked in a curious tone.

He chuckled slightly before responding. "Kind? Nah, Ah just treat people how Ah'd like ta be treated," he said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Apple Bloom has her fair share of times when she's had a bad day an' comes ta me cryin' an' sobbin' about this an' that; an' most of the time, Ah don't have an answer ta her problems like Applejack or Granny would, but I make sure Ah show her love when she feels like she's missed out on it."

Fluttershy stayed quiet, not sure how to respond.

"Yer the element of kindness, not me, y'all must know better than anyone how ta treat others."

She shook her head slightly as she cracked a small smile. "I...don't know, I'm really not sure about how the elements work, or what kindness really has to do with me, sometimes," she responded in an unsure voice.

"Ah ain't here ta debate 'bout somethin' Ah know nothin' 'bout; Ah'm jus' pointin' out what's what," he stopped for a moment, then continued. "You are the element of kindness, an' one way or another that means somethin'."

"I guess you're right, this is probably a conversation for a different time," she responded, not wanting to get further into it.

"Eeyup."

They both stood there silently for a few awkward moments, until Big Mac spoke up.

"So, what'd y'all come into the east orchard for?" he asked curiously.

She hesitated on a response, but she knew she had to give one. "I...was looking for you," she responded, averting her gaze.

He stared down at her with a knowing look on his face. "Mind tellin' me why y'all were lookin' fer me?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

She stayed quiet for a few long moments, reluctant to answer him. "I don't think it matters, it was stupid," she responded, still refusing to look at his face as she spoke.

He gave her an unsatisfied look, not buying into what she just said. "That's not true, Ah know y'all ain't the element of honesty, but Ah also know y'all ain't big on lyin'. If y'all cryin' had anythin' ta do with it, Ah know it ain't nothin' an' it'd be a lot better ta tell me than ta keep it hidden."

She was at a slight loss for words, finding it hard to respond with any comeback. "...You'd just think I was an idiot if I told you."

He shook his head before responding. "Y'all know that ain't true," he paused a moment, hoping it'd ring true in her ears. "Ah ain't gonna try an' force it outta ya, but Ah still think y'all should tell me."

She didn't respond, her downcast gaze not coming off as anything good to Big Mac.

After looking down at her with a serious look on his face, he spoke again. "Fluttershy, look at me."

Reluctantly, she lifted her head and met his gaze, tears still finding themselves welling in her eyes.

"Ah want y'all ta hear me when Ah say this, so please listen."

She nodded her head and responded simply with an "ok."

He gave out a sigh before speaking. "Before my Ma an' Pa died, they taught me a lot, an' one thing they taught me, well...that Ma taught me; is that if ya care 'bout someone, y'all have ta make yourself available for them to talk to, ya have ta be there for 'em. An' Ma made this even more clear when talkin' 'bout girls," he paused a moment before continuing, putting extra emphasis on his words.

"No matter how y'all feel 'bout me Ah care 'bout you, Fluttershy an' as long as ya need me Ah'll be here for you. If ya don't want my help, Ah won't try ta make y'all want it, but Ah'm here an' Ah want to help you," he said sincerely, then closing the distance, he gave her a quick hug.

Hesitating a moment, she responded. "Thank you, Big Macintosh...that really does mean a lot to me, but, will you promise you won't think I'm an idiot if I tell you?" she asked, catching him slightly off guard.

He motioned with an X pattern over his heart as he raised his other hand before responding. "Ah swear, ya have my word."

"Ok...just give me a moment to compose myself, please," she responded, letting out a deep sigh after she finished speaking.

"Eeyup, no problem," he responded simply.

After about 20 seconds passed by, she spoke. "There's a party coming up on the 4th of July, and all of my close friends will be there, so even if I wanted to, I can't really back out and stay home. Anyway, after talking with and receiving much convincing from Rarity...I decided I wanted to try and ask someone to dance with me at the party...and that's..." she trailed off, trembling a great deal, obviously afraid to say it.

Big Mac considered speaking up, but he knew this was something she should say herself, or not be spoken at all.

"It's...i-it's you."

****END OF CHAPTER 16.****

****A/N: Oh boy...hey there guys!, what've you been up to for God knows how long? I hope you've all been well. Geez, I really can't describe how sorry I am for making you all wait for this dang chapter of this story, the conclusion is coming soon. Only a chapter or two left, so stay tuned, I'll be writing it as much as I can with school. Give me a few weeks and I think I can finally put a wrap on this story that I hope has brought enjoyment and/or entertainment to atleast some of you. Be well, readers (Note: I haven't proofread yet, I don't have time at the moment).****


	17. Let's get to it!

****CHAPTER (16 part 2) 17 June 25th/02/10:36 AM/3rd person.****

Silence fell over them, Big Macintosh donning a surprised look on his face for a few moments at hearing what she said. Quickly getting a hold of his shock, Big Macintosh spoke up before Fluttershy got the wrong idea.

"Why would Ah think yer an idiot for askin' me ta dance?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side slightly.

"I just...I don't know why you'd want to go with me," she responded.

"An' why would y'all think that?" he asked with a curious expression of inquiry on his face.

"We haven't known each other very long and there's so many other girls you could pick and I'm not that pretty an-" she was saying before Big Macintosh cut in.

"Hold on, let me stop ya there for a moment," he interjected, continuing a moment later. "First, yer one of the most beautiful women Ah've ever seen, haven't we already been over this?" he asked seriously, referencing all the way back to the first day they met.

She didn't respond.

"Second, what makes y'all think other girls would ask me ta dance, or vice versa?" he asked.

I just, I mean I guess...since you're really handsome, I figured girls throw themselves at you all the time."

He chuckled in response before speaking up a few moments later. "Y'all must think Ah'm super popular with the ladies or somethin', but the last girl ta ask me ta dance was my ma," he said, continuing a moment later. "Ah ain't as sought after as you seem ta think."

Once again, she didn't respond.

"Listen, Ah ain't the most confident guy, Ah'm pretty introverted and shy around strangers, most of the time. That's usually why Ah never really got much ta say. So, when it comes ta askin' a girl ta dance, that hasn't happened and Ah'd be too scared or freaked out about it ta ask in the first place," he said, continuing after a few moments of silence. "Yer not an idiot, Fluttershy; yer a sweet an' kind woman...any guy would have ta be out of his right mind ta refuse an offer ta dance with you," he said honestly as he smiled sincerely down at her.

She looked up at him with a dumbstruck look on her face, at a loss for words.

"If yer sure y'all want me ta be yer partner at this dance, Ah'd be honored," he said sincerely.

"Do you...do you really mean it? Are you sure?" she asked curiously in an unsure tone.

"Fluttershy, Ah'm sure it took a lot of courage to muster up the nerve to ask me to dance with y'all...Ah'm happy ta see that my odd methods of teachin' y'all ta be more confident haven't gone ta waste; Ah'm proud of you, Fluttershy and Ah'm glad y'all asked me ta be yer dance partner," he responded as he continued smiling down at her, continuing a moment later. "There's no way Ah'd say no, even if Ah don't like bein' in large crowds, Ah'd do it if it's with you."

After a moment of silence, a huge smile spread across Fluttershy's face as she rushed forward and hugged Big Mac around his neck, laughing with glee as a couple of already welled tears fell out of her eyes.

"Hehe, never thought a girl would ask me ta dance," Big Mac said absent-mindedly.

Pulling her head back, she quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and continued hugging him.

Big Mac then began blushing hardcore, finding her behavior super out of the ordinary, but embracing it anyway.

After realizing what she just did, Fluttershy began blushing just as heavily as Big Mac as the two were now standing in a stiff bodied, semi-awkward embrace.

Chuckling nervously, Big Mac pulled away and offered his hand to Fluttershy, who looked down at it with a somewhat confused look. "If we're gonna do this dance on the 4th of July, we better start practicing, right?" he asked, a smile still adorning his face.

She laughed softly for a moment before taking his hand, "I'd say so, let's get to it!" she said with a wide teeth bearing smile on her face.

****A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know this chapter is super short, I've noticed. I consider this more of the continuation of the last chapter, a part 2 if you will. So, I'm sorry it's short, I just want a little more suspense before the end. So hey, do y'all want any filler before the finale? If not, the next chapter will be the last one. So make sure you voice what you want. Also, let me know if you want an Epilogue type thing after the final chapter, a "how are they doing now" kinda thing (and yes, that'll be a chapter itself)  
****


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